Kamen Rider ARC
by SleepinEyes
Summary: An accident almost took his life. Rebuilt, now he needs to uncover a secret from the past that threatens mankind. AU
1. The First Ride

_The Great War left many scars behind, and from its ashes a new world was born. At first, peace was predominant, and people's lives returned to normal. But then, they came, creatures of darkness that prey on humans, who didn't fear or where killed by the weapons humanity had at that moment. The creatures were winning, and the futures was bleak for a moment._

 _They called them creatures of Grimm._

 _But then, two discoveries change the destiny of humanity. First came Dust, a high-powered type of crystal that could be used in weapons effective against Grimm. After came Aura, that gave humans powers never imagined, and allowed them to fight back against the menace of the Grimm. The four Kingdoms established schools to train such individuals, and equipped with Dust powered weapons and Aura, they fought back the monsters that lurched in the darkness._

 _They called those people Hunters._

 _Time passed, and the always present menace of Grimm reduced to the point life was mostly normal, with the assurance that any Grimm case would be handled by the Hunters, and that life could go as usual._

 _But time changes everything…_

* * *

 _How long have it been since Grimm attacked here? And why now we have so many_?

Sarah Arc questioned herself as she ripped the Beowulf-type Grimm head off with her clawed gauntlets. It didn't matter if she retired from being a Huntress after her first child, or that she had eight right now. Her skills were still top notch, and she had a big reason to fight the monsters, as she opened her way towards the local school. Her children were there, and no Grimm, no anything, would get between them and her.

With another defeated, she rushed down the street when she finally saw the brick wall of the school her children attended, and saw the main gate was torn and broken off the walls, making her gulp and run faster. As she entered, she was glad there was no one on the front gardens of the school, nor any blood marks. She saw though that the front glass door was shattered, and she entered the halls, trying to figure where the creature of Grimm was.

A series of screams could be heard, and a howl from upstairs.

Sarah gulped and jumped forward, climbing the stairs as fast as she could. Soon she found what was the large auditorium, where the students had hidden. The doors were broken, a make-shift barricade destroyed. One of the teachers was already dead, probably tried to protect the kids and paid a hefty price for his courage. But what made Sarah's blood ran cold was the scene in front of her.

An Alpha Beowulf was in front of the children, but one blonde boy with a broken pipe was trying to keep it away from everyone one. The monster charged, but the boy was able to dodge and pierced the Beowulf's eye with the pipe, making it howl in pain, yet the creature attacked with its claws, cutting the boy's torso and sending him flying towards a wall, blood dripping heavily from its body.

"JAUNE!"

The Beowulf turned to the woman and sensing she was the bigger threat, he tried to attack her, but suddenly he couldn't move. She was glowing a soft white light, that made a circle on the ground. The monster was completely paralyzed as the woman walked towards him, and then grabbed its head and twisted it, breaking its neck and tearing the muscles, decapitating it.

"Jaune!"

Her attention turned to the voices, where several blonde girls rushed to help the boy. Sarah left the corpse to turn into ashes as all Grimm did, and rushed to her son. She gasped as she saw the damage, but the boy was still breathing, but her experience told her that he wouldn't make it and she wouldn't allow a twelve-year-old boy, her only son, die and leave her and his seven sisters behind.

She had a decision to make.

* * *

 _He will die…._

 _Jennifer, please_!

Voices in the dark…

 _So much like you two. But you know after this, you won't be able to stop him of following your footsteps._

 _I don't care! I want my son alive_!

Mom… Dad… That third voice was…

 _I always regretted my research was never used for good, but now… I'm just sorry it's him… Poor child_.

Were they talking about him?

 _Jaune, I wish I could say everything will be fine, but it's risky. I'll do my best, child, and you will be the second one. Hopefully, life will be kinder to you than it was with the first. Do you want to be a hero_?

His eyes opened just slightly. A surgery room? Several people in blue and white, bright lights, kind blue eyes upon him. Machines he couldn't tell what they were. A belt with a golden orb in the middle.

Then darkness.

* * *

Ruby hit the back of the head of one of the thieves with her Crescent Rose, dropping him unconscious. She had gone to the small store to pass time as Yang ditched her to go somewhere with her bike. The small girl was happy when their father agreed to allow her come with Yang for Beacon's try-outs so she could buy things usually she couldn't in Patch, but she was a little mad her big sister abandoned her way too fast. Poor thieves turned to be a great way to release stress.

"What is wrong with kids nowadays?" The thief leader, an effeminate man with eye mascara and a bowler hat questioned as he ran away with four of his thugs, entering in an alley.

"Hey! Come back here!" Ruby shout as she gave chase.

Her dream was to be a Huntress, like her mother were, so she has been training in combat, and while the job description mostly involved Grimm, she knew sometimes they'd have to deal with people too. So, she didn't hesitate in following them in the alley, hearing the footsteps the running thieves made. She carefully followed them, until she heard weird sounds and then screams of pain, forcing her to use her Semblance to cross the alley and into a secondary, one way street.

She stopped and stared in surprise as she saw four pulsing black globs of some thick ooze pulsing and growing, taking form. Soon she saw white and red masks forming, and the ooze turning into Beowulves. She gasped and readied Crescent Rose, her scythe-sniper rifle and prepared to fight.

"Hey Red!" She turned to the voice of the thief leader on top of a building, as a bullhead came to take him in. "You should've gone to your grandma's house instead of playing cop!"

She didn't had time to say anything back as the Grimm howled and one jumped against her, forcing her to use her Semblance to dodge. She fired a Dust round against it, and the shot made the creature howl and bleed. Her second attack was with her blade, and she hit its side, making the long and sharp site bury deep on the Grimm's chest. With a shot, she was thrown backwards and the blade ripped the creature, killing it.

A second Beowulf jumped on her and tried to use its claws on the small girl, but she was able to block it with her scythe. She noticed the other two surrounding her and cursed under her breath, as she noticed she wouldn't be able to escape that situation. She felt like the unluckiest girl in the world as it was very rare to heard of multiple Grimm working together, but here she was fighting three of them.

"I don't think I could ask you all to come one at a time, can I?" She said more to herself than to the creatures.

That was when she saw a bright light seeping from the back of the Grimm she was locked with and the sound of an engine. Her first thought was about Yang and her bike, that her sister nicknamed Bumblebee, then she saw a heavy sports bike running over one of the Beowulves, giving her a chance to disengage of her opponent and fire a few shots against it, killing the monsters. She used her Semblance to get distance between her and the Grimm, and stopped to see the biker that saved her.

"Who… are you?" She asked as she saw the rider dismounting his ride.

The bike was of a similar model to Yang's, but had two round lights in front, almost like insect eyes. The rider though, it was the strangest thing she saw in a long time. He was wearing some type of armor, made of a white metal with golden details, with some black garment underneath, and he had a big belt buckle with a golden gem in the middle, and it was glowing, with many lights flickering on it. The weird part was his helmet, for it looked like a grasshopper head, with big golden eyes, antennae and the mouth piece like an insect's mouth. He walked to her side, scarf flowing with the wind.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, surprising the small girl.

"I… I'm fine… Who are you? And why you look like a giant bug?" She asked, making him chuckle nervously and scratch the back of his helmet.

"I don't think I have time to tell you. So, you want the Grimm on the right or left?" He asked as he got in an attacking posture. Ruby was reminded of them as they howled at her.

"Right!" She shouted as she attacked the Grimm with her scythe, but couldn't help but keep an eye for the stranger.

She saw as the stranger got in unarmed combat with the Beowulf, and how he didn't flinch as he blocked a claw and punched the creature's ribs, making a sickening sound of cracking bones, before he kicked the creature back. Ruby used her Semblance and scythe to strike her opponent several times, and soon it died of the multiple cuts, allowing her to pay full attention to the newcomer.

He was punching the Beowulf, the creature failing to land his attacks as the mysterious rider seemingly toyed with the monster. He pushed it back once more and then pressed a button on his belt buckle, causing the orb on its middle to shine brighter.

" **Command** " a female voice sounded from the belt, soft but robotic.

"Rider Punch!" The guy shouted, and Ruby saw light coming from the belt to his right fist, making the golden patterns of the armor to shine.

" **Rider Punch Ready!** "

The Beowulf jumped against the rider, and he calmly punched it on the face, energy flowing from the fist and into the creature, making it roll on the streets for several meters before stopping. The Beowulf still tried to get up, but suddenly it burst in golden flames and turned into dust. Ruby stood there agape for a moment, as the rider stopped shining in the night.

"That was… AWESOME!" She shouted as she suddenly appeared in front of him, making him take a step back in surprise. "How you did that? Who are you? Are you a new kind of Huntsman? Can I ride your bike?"

"W-what?" He stammered, and soon they heard sirens approaching, and the rider groaned. "Sorry, small one, but I have to go now. I'm really not in the mood to deal with the police." He ruffled her hair and walked to his bike, jumping in, but Ruby followed him.

"Wait! At least tell me your name! I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose!" She asked, making puppy eyes, making the rider chuckle a little.

"I'm simple a Kamen Rider." He answered, turning the bike one and giving the girl a small wave and leaving.

"Kamen Rider…"

* * *

"Kamen Rider?"

"That's what he said. He was so cool! One single punch and he made the Beowulf catch fire!" Ruby said excitedly to the blonde woman in front of her, Glynda Goodwitch, a famous Huntress and member of Beacon, Vale's local Hunter's academy and guild. "Then he left with his bike, but he is not easy to miss, with the grasshopper helmet and everything."

"Ms. Rose, are you sure of what you saw? It was night and you had your adrenaline rushing." The woman asked a little skeptical.

"I'm pretty sure! Besides, you might have saw him in the security cameras!" Ruby defended.

"Unfortunately, that street didn't had any camera close to where your battle occurred. Anyway, what you did is commendable as you tried to stop a robbery, yet you engaged with a dangerous criminal and the Grimm. Beacon strongly advise civilians like you to avoid engagement and call us to deal with such situation, or at least the police." She chastised the young girl.

"B-but I want to be a Huntress too! I'm training at Signal for the try-outs! I even got two Beowulves tonight!" Ruby defended herself. Glynda sighed at that affirmation.

"You got lucky. If it was up to me I'd send you back home with a pat on the back… and a slap on the wrist." She said as she slapped the table with her rider crop, making Ruby flinch. "But there's someone else who want to have a word with you."

With that, a grey-haired man entered the room, carrying a plate of cookies.

* * *

"Here it is. It's a little blurry, but indeed he's real." The cop said as he showed Glynda and Ozpin some images from the traffic cameras. They could see the white and gold bike, but couldn't make much of the Rider's helmet, yet it fit Ruby's description. "All this city need, a superhero, or as we call it, illegal vigilantes."

"Should we start a search for him? He didn't do anything illegal." The police captain asked.

"That won't be necessary. I think I know who this might be, and he won't be doing any illegal activities." Ozpin said as he sipped from his coffee. Glynda and the cops gave him questioning stares, but he made no motion that he would explain himself.

"Care sharing then? We are at the same side, last I checked." The police captain questioned, a little tired of dealing with Ozpin.

"All in due time. I'll have to make a few calls first, but I believe we'll have more help soon."

"I hope so. We are dealing with this Dust thieves, the White Fang and the Grimm. Four in one night, all in the same place. I'll tell you Ozpin, this is not normal." The captain questioned and the man gave an agreement nod back. He hoped this Rider could be their trump card if his fears proved truthful.

* * *

"Alright, I might not allow you out in the night again, Rubes. I'm fine with you kicking bad guy butts, but wanting to ride stranger's bikes?" Yang told her sister as they flew the bullhead towards Beacon.

"I wouldn't ask if you let me ride yours! And he helped me! Besides, what about you fighting in nightclubs?" Ruby shouted back, and Yang rolled her eyes and fixed her blonde locks.

"That wasn't my fault! I was just trying to get a strawberry sunrise!" Yang defended herself, but before being able to continue they heard a weird sound and saw a young man sat on one of the benches on the airship, a little green on the face. He was wearing old jeans, converses and a black and orange hood. Ruby walked close to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked and he waved but didn't look up.

"Motion sickness… urgh… I'll be mostly fine, especially when we land." He answered as he kept looking at his feet.

"Come on Rubes, don't get too close, he might vomit on your shoes!" Yang warned her sister.

"But Yang, he's not well!" The petite girl answered back.

"I… hng… would listen to your friend." He said and Ruby did take a few steps back. "Are we going to land yet?"

"In a few minutes, vomit boy." Yang said and he groaned, so she took his features in. Blonde hair, messy, but it was nice to look at, tall, probably, a little on the thin side instead of muscular.

 _Attention, we'll be landing at Beacon Academy soon_. _Please have your documents, ID and passes ready._

"Thank heavens." The boy said as the airship made the last maneuver and docked, and his face soon returned to normal and he got up. Both girls were surprised on how tall he was in fact, and how deep his blue eyes were. Then they started snickering as they noticed his chest. "What?"

"What is that?!" Both girls said as they pointed to the bunny on his hood.

"What, it's Pumpkin's Pete, the cereal mascot!" He defended.

"Did you sent a cereal box top to get it?" Ruby asked as she kept laughing.

"Fifty, actually." He answered and both girls couldn't help but laugh aloud.

* * *

"Alright, alright, sorry, but it's a cute little bunny!" Yang defended as they walked towards the main building. Ruby was still giggling by their side.

"It feels nice, alright? Besides, it's not like Beacon's try-outs take our fashion sense in consideration." The boy defended himself.

"Ah, you're here for it too! I'm so excited! I can't believe I got a chance to try for Beacon two years beforehand!" Ruby stated, and the boy stared at her in surprise.

"Uh. You might have impressed them."

"She fought some bandits and Grimm the other night. She's actually quite skilled, despite being so small."

"I won't be small forever, Yang! I drink milk!" She cutely retorted, making the boy chuckle. Ruby give a curious look at the boy, tilting her head to the side. "Say... have we met before?"

"Maybe we stumbled at each other before. I'm Jaune Arc, nice to meet you." He answered and offered a hand, that Ruby shook back.

"Ruby Rose. This is my sister Yang Xiao Long." The small girl said and pointed to the gorgeous blonde girl, that simply winked at Jaune. "I can't wait to do the try-outs and be a Huntress. I bet we'll see all kinds of cool weapons here!"

"She is a bit of a geek when it comes to weapons. So, Jauney, are you here for the try-outs too?"

"Yeah. Though I have no idea how they do it. I mean, we are going to be Hunters, right? To fight Grimm. How do you test if you're good enough for this job?" Jaune wondered as they entered the building, where a Faunus girl with bunny ears took their IDs.

"Probably we'll do several tests. I'm just glad there's no written test to do." The blonde girl stated as they were pointed to an assembly hall. Several young men and women were already there, so they moved to some chairs in the middle and sit down. It didn't take long for Glynda Goodwitch to take the stage and the microphone.

"Welcome to Beacon Academy, Vale's Hunter's school and office. As you all know, we're responsible to deal with any Grimm sighting, and therefore to protect people against such creatures. I'm Glynda Goodwitch, vice-commander of Beacon. Now, Commander Ozpin wants to have some words with you." She said and left the stage, and the grey-haired man took it, walking with a cane on hand.

"Good morning. I know many of you believe this job is heroic, but let me tell you it's dangerous and most of the times unrewarding. But if you came here for personal glory, I lament to tell you this is the wrong job for that. But the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Beacon protect Vale and beyond against the biggest threat humanity had to deal with. The Grimm don't care who you are, where you come from. They will kill anything in their sights. It's our job to make sure they don't, even if we put our lives in the line to protect the lives of others. So, ask yourselves first if you're ready to make such sacrifice." He stated and left, leaving an astonished and silent room behind him. Glynda returned to take the mic.

"Now, you first will have a medical examination, then a series of physical tests. The last test will involve fighting drones in the afternoon, so be ready. Dismissed." She finished and the room burst into talk.

"Oh, I wonder what kind of drones we will be fighting!" Ruby said with excitement.

"I hope they don't mind we break them." Yang added as she cracked her fists. Jaune just put some thought on Ozpin's words.

* * *

"And stay broken." Yang stated happily as she finished her try-out fight. The drone was broken on the ground after being unable to take her powerful punches, while some students clapped over her victory, making her bow to them and wave.

"A powerful demonstration, though I worry about her personality." Glynda commented as she took some notes on her scroll.

"Well, as long as she gets the job done and don't hurt anyone, being boastful is not a fault of character." Peter Port said as he took notes too. "This year is doing quite well, very feel failures."

"Those unable to perform this job were mostly stopped right at the medical examination and physical tests. This is just a skill test, after all. They all must take a one year training before being official Huntsmen and Huntresses." Dr. Oobleck said in his fast-paced tone. "I'm mostly curious about Ozpin two choices for this year."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Rose and Mr. Arc. Both from Hunter's families. I hope they can live up to the task." Glynda said as she watched the girl with a black ribbon on her head take the arena.

* * *

"Breath in, breath out." Jaune said to himself as he sat in the room, waiting for his turn. He saw as everyone checked their weapons and wore their battle attire, while he was just in his casual clothes, one hand in the hoodie's pocket fiddling with something. It was nerve wracking after all.

"Breath slowly, it'll help you relax." A caring voice came in front of him, and he opened his eyes and saw a breathtaking beautiful redhead, hair tied in a ponytail, circlet on the top of her head, shield, spear, armor that showed her shoulders and made him blush, deep emerald eyes.

"Hmph, if you're nervous to fight a drone, you're unfit to do this job." He saw a white-haired girl with a small scar on her right eye checking a long rapier. She was wearing a white dress that he felt unfit for fighting, but then, no one was using tactical gear there.

"Weiss, he does have the right to be nervous." The redhead said, then she bent towards him and gently touched his hand, making him stare at her eyes. "I get nervous sometimes too."

"T-thanks. I'm Jaune, by the way. You are…?" He asked, causing both girls to look at him in shocked surprise.

"Pyrrha Nikos! You can't tell me you never heard of her!" Weiss shout with indignation. He stared at the redhead, trying to figure if he ever saw her before. "She won the Mistral Tournament four times in a row!"

"Oh, sorry, I'm not into sports. More of a comic book guy." He said and Pyrrha gave him a sweet smile. Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Pyrrha Nikos, you're next!" A man came and called her. "Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee and Russell Thrush, please come and wait by the arena."

The four teenagers followed and sat in a bench by the arena's side. Pyrrha made one last stretch and entered the arena, and a humanoid drone came from a trapdoor in the ground. The drone readied a blade in his right arm and a gun in the left. Three lights blinked with a beep following, and when the last beep ended, the drone engaged in combat. The battle was incredible quick as Pyrrha blocked the gunfire with her shield and pressed forward, dodging the incoming blade than pierced the drone with her spear, ending the battle.

"W-wow… she's incredible!" Jaune murmured from the bench.

"Indeed, she is. This is the level one need to have to be a Hunter." Weiss smirked as she informed Jaune of that, and he gulped. Suddenly he didn't felt ready anymore.

"Bah, those drones are easy to deal with, that's what. That girl is not all that." Russell answered, but Now Jaune was trying his breathing exercise once more. At least he knew the test would stop if he couldn't deal with it.

* * *

"Damn it. She destroyed it so easily. And Atlas told us those are the best drones ever made by the SDC. Those aren't challenges to the newbies…" A man said as he tossed the destroyed remains of the drone Pyrrha defeated in a pile and started reading another one, when someone grabbed him from the dark.

"Then how about we fix this?" A female voice came from behind as it used some type of auto-syringe to inject something into the technician, and his veins started popping, blacked. "Let's see how Ozpin will deal with you?"

The technician felt on the ground and shouted in pain, as his skin turned black.

* * *

Jaune entered the arena, still nervous and fiddling with something on his hoodie's pocket as he waited for his turn. He saw Pyrrha walking by the arena's side and she smiled and gave him a wave, so he waved back. He took a deep breath and got in an unarmed position, which surprised the Beacon's staff.

"Unarmed? That's is rare. Even Xiao Long used shotgun-gauntlets." Port commented, his curiosity piqued. "It reminds me of one time…"

"Not now, Peter. But he did perform surprisingly well in his physical tests. But why he was excused of medical examination?" Oobleck wondered, but didn't got his answer as the trapdoor that allowed the drones in opened. A long silence came but the drone didn't. "Where's it? Call the…"

His sentence was cut short as they heard a growl and suddenly a large Ursa-type Grimm jumped through the trapdoor, surprising everyone, and then it tossed Jaune to the side with one of his paws, causing panic to spread over the place. Glynda jumped on her feet and readied to interfere, when the Ursa let out a growl of pain. Surprising everyone, Jaune was up on his feet and just punched the Ursa in the place the kidneys should've be.

"Damn it… How you got here?" He wondered more to himself when the Ursa turned and tried to hit him with the claws again, forcing him to dodge and kick the beast in the arm. The Ursa got in its hind legs and tossed Jaune to the side once more. "All right… I was hoping to not have to do this…"

Jaune stood up and removed something from his pocket, and put it on top of his belt buckle, the device wrapping itself around his waist, making a series of sounds. The Ursa made no notice of this and started moving on his direction, ready to attack. Jaune pressed a button on the device and it opened, revealing a golden orb in the middle.

" **Command** "

"Henshin!" Jaune shouted.

" **Arc Ride Activated!"**

The device gave a flash of golden light, making the Ursa stop on its tracks, and opened, from within several plates appeared and started covering the boy's body, until a helmet covered his head and a scarf flew in the air. The Ursa stared at the figure, not daring to move forward, while the audience gasped at the sight.

"Let's start this!" Jaune shouted and rushed against the creature, kicking it in the face.

The Ursa howled as the kick connected, and countered with its claws, but Jaune easily blocked it with his arm before punching it in the face, cracking its armor plate, following with a series of kicks and punches, giving no quarter to the Grimm, pushing him back. The Ursa got up in his grind legs and gave a bear hug to the boy, who struggled under the great pressure.

"Jaune!" A familiar voice shouted, then the Grimm howled and dropped the boy, and he saw a spear stuck on the creature's back. He saw Pyrrha on the sideways, readying herself to come to his help, while the Ursa turned to attack the girl.

"Oh no you won't!" Jaune stated as he pressed a button on his belt. "This ends now!"

" **Command** "

"Rider KICK!" He shouted as he jumped high in the air, a series of hidden thrusters in his armor getting him in position. His armor golden part glowed, and then his right foot as he was thrusted against the Grimm's back, hitting its spine and making it tumble forward, Pyrrha's spear falling from it. The creature fell on the ground and golden flame engulfed it and turned it into ash.

"What happened?" Port asked in disbelief, staring at the weird armor Jaune had. The boy walked to Pyrrha's spear and took it, giving it back to the surprised girl.

"Ozpin will explain this to us. I'm sure." Glynda said as she stared at the boy.

* * *

"That was unexpected." A mint-haired girl talked as she stared at her scroll. "Who and what is this guy?"

"I don't know, and I don't like not knowing. While a death during the try-outs would be the best outcome for us, just the fact a Grimm 'infiltrated' the academy will suffice. Now, my dear Emerald, your mission will be discovering what you can about this masked warrior. Our plans won't be delayed." The brunette girl said as her eyes shone eerily.

* * *

"When you were going to tell me all of this?" Glynda asked as she reviewed Jaune's medical file with great attention. "Poor child…"

"His family asked me to keep it a secret for as long as possible, to allow him to better make friends. So, I expect the details will be kept between us." Ozpin said as he sipped from his mug, looking at security footage. "Someone hacked in our system… no images of the perpetrator."

"I'm personally investigating and already have a suspect. But this security breach…"

"Won't be passed over by the Vale's Council. I'm well aware of it, but I also trust your capacity in discovering how this happened. Mostly important is avoiding panic and not let they know the truth." Ozpin stated as he pressed a few buttons. "I'll let Qrow know of this."

"I'll check on the cadets then. I'm sure they are shocked with what happened. And Mr. Arc might be in need of a friendly presence." Glynda stated and left the room.

* * *

"You are the Kamen Rider! And you didn't tell me!" Ruby pouted while the boy chuckled and petted her.

"Sorry, sorry… I just promised to not tell anyone if I haven't to." He justified and she hardened her pout for a second before crossing her arms.

"Let me take a look on what you used to transform and I might forgive you!" She said, and he winced at that. He felt it was not a good idea to let people fiddle with his Rider Belt.

"How about I give you some cookies?" He suggested using the same tactic he used with his sisters.

"All is forgiven." She said without missing a beat. Yang laughed at that and put an arm around his shoulder.

"That was cool, vomit boy. Kamen Rider. It even sounds cool. So… when we'll have a race, since Rubes here told me you had a bike, and she dared to imply it's cooler than mine." The blonde tightened her grip, and Jaune struggled a little. Pyrrha gave a small giggle.

"But are you sure you're fine? An Ursa that size is usually not engaged alone, not saying we aren't full-fledged Hunters yet." She spoke, worry obvious on her voice.

"I'm fine, the medics already cleared me. And you helped me, after all. Thank you." Jaune said with a smile, making the girl smile shyly back at him. Then Yang tightened her grip and put him in a headlock. "GAAAAH!"

"No flirting, more racing!" She demanded, and Jaune wondered what kind of friends he got.

* * *

 **A.N.: Alright, this is an alternate universe, mixing with a very subtle reference to a completely unknown Japanese tokusatsu series. Not decided on pairings this time, hope you enjoy. No certain schedule of publishing, but I'll try to publish it every three or four days since I'm finally feeling like writing again**.


	2. Second Ride

Roman Torchwick was not a very patient man, at least when it comes to people bossing him around. He hated that woman, but knowing what she and her group could do, he wasn't going to disobey her, not make his dissatisfaction apparent. If he played his cards right, he would come out of whatever crazy plan she had alive. So, when she came, wearing the tight red dress, shaking her hips, something most men would be drawn to, he just sighed and put a façade.

"Dear Cinder, what gives me the honor of your visit?" He said with fake courtesy, one that was too apparent to the woman.

"You were advised to not use the serum unless in last case. But you used four doses in one single night. Why?" She asked, cutting to the chase, her voice even, but dangerous.

"I crossed over a girl, red cape, big scythe. She interrupted the last operation, and would've caught me if I haven't used… tactics."

"Tactics you say, or cowardice? And by your description, not only this girl escaped the Grimm, she joined Beacon, giving them more information than I'd like them to have access, which is none." Cinder chastised him in a belittling manner, but he seemed unfazed.

"Not my fault insect face came to rescue little red." Roman stated dismissively, but Cinder bent forward, a hint of curiosity on her eyes.

"Insect face? White armor, golden details?" She asked, surprising him.

"Yes… How do you know?"

"It doesn't matter. I do have a new mission for you. Some gang is creating troubles for our operation in the northern districts. Get rid of them. This time, you can use the serum, as much as you need." She affirmed as she turned around and left, making him bite harder on his cigar.

…

Jaune woke up with his alarm clock blaring an old tune, and he groaned and turned on his bed at the academy's gym. Everyone had to sleep there, as dormitory rooms weren't assigned yet, so he stared at all the bedrolls with sleeping cadets around. He looked to his right and saw Ruby, sleeping soundly while hugging her own pillow, and Yang on her other side, snoring softly. To his right, he saw Pyrrha Nikos, whose sheets were tossed aside, showing her sleeping in sweat pants and a small red top, showing her neck and shoulders and making him blush a little.

Deciding to catch the early worm, he stretched and grabbed the designated uniform, similar to that of the Vale Police Force, but black instead of light blue, and he carefully walked to the showers. Inside, for a moment, he thought he entered the women's showers as he saw someone with long black hair and a lithe frame showering, but as the person turned to see the newcomer he noticed it was a boy. They trade a small head bow and showered in silence. After putting his uniform, he felt weird, as it wasn't the kind of outfit he used often, so formal instead of comfortable and casual.

Leaving the showers, he was stopped on his track as a petite girl with ginger hair, bright blue eyes and freckles stared at him. She stared at him intently, as if trying to see through him, making him shift eyes side to side uncomfortable. Apparently, she wasn't going to say anything, so he opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him quickly.

"Do it." He blinked twice as those two words escaped her mouth..

"W-what?"

"They said you can become a superhero. Do it!" She demanded, and he blinked twice again, realizing he now had a reputation. He just hoped he hadn't to do party tricks with the Rider Belt.

"Nora." Came a voice behind him, and he noticed the long-haired boy, now on uniform, standing slight behind him.

"But Ren! They said he can transform! Like, into a beetle or something! I wish I could transform, but I'd be a wasp! Or a cute butterfly. Or a ladybug! I'm not sure yet." She rumbled on, making Jaune stare at the black-haired boy for help.

"Sorry about that, but since she heard of your weapon she has being eager to meet you. I'm Lie Ren, and this is my friend Nora Valkyrie." He introduced both.

"Ah, not a problem. I'm Jaune Arc, and I'm pretty sure the higher ups wouldn't appreciate me showing off like this." The blonde said, and the girl puffed her cheeks unhappily.

"Come on, Nora, go get dressed so we can eat breakfast." Ren suggested, and she suddenly gave a toothy smile to them.

"Oh, I hope they have pancakes! You don't dare to eat all the pancakes, bug-boy!" She affirmed as she entered the boy's showers, and Ren had to rush and point to her the right one, making Jaune chuckle a little. He turned to see a sleepy yang in her really short-shorts approaching, hair in a ponytail, with Ruby and Pyrrha right behind.

"Morning." He greeted, and they all greeted back.

"Look who's good in a uniform!" Yang praised him, and he scratched the back of his head nervously. Pyrrha approached him and grabbed his tie gently.

"Let me fix it for you." She offered with a kind smile, and after a few seconds she put the tie in its proper place. "Now you look perfect."

"When you two get married, can I be the bridesmaid?" Yang teased, making both teenagers blush and take a step back, and she laughed out loud.

"I… uh… will let you girls get ready and save a table at the dining hall." He said and rushed out of the gym.

Finding the dining hall wasn't hard, and they at least served real food, so he grabbed a light breakfast and sat at a table close to a window, and started eating slowly, until he felt a pair of eyes upon him. He looked up from his plate and saw deep amber eyes from a pale girl with wavy black hair, already in uniform, with the small female hat on top of her head. She had a small book on her hand and a plate of food in front, but her eyes were focused on him.

"Oh… sorry… I didn't notice you. I can choose another table…" He said as he made a movement to leave.

"It's fine. You can sit there." She said in an emotionless tone and he nodded and resumed eating, but her eyes didn't leave him. "Say… you're the guy everyone is talking about, right?"

"Apparently I am." He said back, a little defeated. She smirked a little behind her book, but didn't pressed the issue. It didn't take long for the rest of the cadets to come in, and Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and even Weiss joined the table him and the mysterious girl were sitting on.

"Hello!" Yang sang as she sat by the girl's side. "I'm Yang, nice to meet ya!"

"Blake." She answered dryly, without moving her eyes from her book. Ruby started to devour cookies, while Nora talked non-stop about some dream she had, while Jaune felt many eyes and whispers aimed at him.

"I know it's not easy to be the center of attention." Pyrrha said to him, noticing his discomfort and he nodded in agreement. She could sympathize with his plight, though she also was happy he took some attention from her.

"Y-yeah. That's one reason I didn't want to do that from the start." Jaune admitted, and Weiss gave him a surprised stare.

"Are you saying you'd fight the drones without that armor?"

"I'm stronger than I look." He said with a small smile, then noticing something, he took the chance to change subjects. "Uh. You all look good in uniform."

"Awww, you're just saying." Yang said with a wink and a smile. "But I look better without anything."

"Yang!" Ruby whined towards her sister. "Sorry about her, Jaune. So, did you do that… what you called again…? Rider Belt! Have you made it yourself?"

"Not really. It's… complicated." He squirmed a little over the intent stares he was receiving, and Ruby's puppy expression didn't help. He prayed something would save him from that.

 _Attention all cadets. Please meet at the assembly hall for the second part of the try-outs at 0900_.

"Second part? I thought what we did yesterday was all of it." Ruby complained.

"They keep it a secret from the students, but there's two more tests to be done before we actually got accepted." Blake said and they all gave her inquiring stares. "I heard some of the staff commenting it yesterday."

"It doesn't matter how many tests they throw at us. Even after them, there's basic training, then probation period. We won't be full-fledged hunters until the year's end. That way they will separate those with real skills and those who just got lucky." Weiss said as if referring to some of the cadets at the table.

"Well, we better go and see what all this fuss is about." Yang said to them and the group walked towards the assembly hall, with Blake's eyes cast on Jaune's back.

…

"He does love his own voice." Jaune whispered towards Ruby, who giggled and nodded in agreement as sergeant Port kept talking what was supposed to be an introductory class, but turned out to be a self-praising tale of his exploits as a young cadet. He talked for an hour in a half, making half the cadets dell asleep before finishing and passing the mic to Cmdr. Goodwitch.

"Now, for the second part of the try-outs, you all will be paired with a recently-graduated Hunter for a routine patrol of the city. You might meet the enemy while at it, or not, but every action that you do will be evaluated by them. This is done to see how you deal with the general public, and remember that while we are not the police, we do have legal power to intervene in crimes, and we do have jurisdiction on anything involving Grimm. Yet I advise to be careful and not hesitate to call professional Hunters if you do find such creatures around. Now you can move to the entrance where your temporary partners will be waiting for you." She informed them, and then they moved to the front of the building. There, several uniformed Hunters waited for the cadets.

"I hope I get someone nice…" Ruby said nervously as she covered her head with her ever present red hood. How she was allowed to keep the accessory over her uniform was anyone's guess.

"Come on, Rubes, you know you need to get out of your shell. Remember that you'll have a partner when you become a full Huntress." Yang tried to cheer her up, until a shadow covered the duo, and they stared at a towering young man, taller than Jaune and broader, that stared at them.

"Nora Valkyrie?" He asked, and suddenly the energetic girl popped in front of him.

"Oh, that's me! You're my partner? You're so tall! And look strong! Can you bench-press ten times your weight, because I can! Do you like pancakes?" She was now clinging on his back, and the man just turned and left with the talking girl on his shoulder.

"See! She made a friend already!" Yang pressed and Ruby groaned. Then a shy girl with rabbit years came to them.

"R-Ruby Rose?" She asked, and the small girl sighed in relieve, before Yang pushed her and she almost fell onto her partner.

"It's me! Hello!" She said as she straightened herself and offered a hand, and the brunette girl shook it.

"Pleased to meet you. I'll be your partner for the day. Velvet Scarlatina." The Faunus girl said with a small smile. "We better get going."

"I wonder how exactly those pairings ware decided." Weiss wondered as Velvet and Ruby left.

"I'm pretty sure they have a system. It would be stupid to let those things to be defined at random." Blake gave her two cents, eyes still on her book.

…

The night before…

"So, how we do this year? Blind darts or we draw from the hat?" Oobleck asked Ozpin in the officers' room.

"We will do the double hat." Ozpin informed as he put two sets of papers in two hats.

…

"Jaune Arc."

The voice came as an affirmation and they turned to see a girl wearing a beret and sunglasses, wearing a combination of the female's uniform blazer but instead of the skirt the others wore she wore pants. She had short brown hair and gave the blonde boy a rundown with her chocolate eyes. He felt incredible nervous right now and gulped.

"It's me." He let out and the girl nodded, then turned around. He gave a brief stare at his friends before rushing after the girl.

They walked without trading any words until they entered Beacon's garage, and she took him to a coffee colored sports car. She took the driver's seat and Jaune rushed to enter the vehicle, but before he even could fasten his seatbelt she darted outside, making several sharp turns before taking the highway.

"Alright, Arc. Here's the rules. You don't talk or do anything without my orders and we'll do just fine. Got it?" She talked dryly.

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Good. Also, I don't care what everyone is talking about you, you won't play hero while with me, got it?" She affirmed once more.

"Yes, ma'am." He answered again, and she cracked a small smile before blasting heavy metal over the car's stereo.

…

Emerald walked towards the abandoned warehouses in the outskirts of the city, were many homeless people slept, and many ran away from her as soon as they saw the girl. She found a small group of four, drunk on cheap booze, that stared at her with dead fish eyes. She sighed and pitied them for their situation, yet she had her orders from Cinder, so she grabbed some vials from her pocket, where a black substance, thick like crude oil, was in.

"Hey guys, how about getting a high for free?" She asked, and they crawled towards her, making her sick with the stench and the situation. But orders were orders.

…

"Here's your coffee, ma'am. Black, strong, big." Jaune recited as he gave the cup to Coco Adel, his current partner. She took it and gave it a taste, then smiled and drank it slowly.

"No jokes here, Arc?" She asked him and he gave her a questioning look. "About my taste for coffee and men?"

"Sorry ma'am, but… I don't get it." He said and she had to lower her sunglasses and give him a look, before leaving out a small laugh.

"I bet you never heard many dirty jokes, have you?"

"My mother wouldn't allow it. And she can be scary when angered. Ma'am, mind if I ask why we do patrols? I thought Grimm attacks were relatively rare."

"They are if you compare to burglaries, but not uncommon enough to be considered a minor problem. The fact we do patrols actually help us to find Grimm before they cause a ruckus… or kill someone. Professional Hunters like me keep them safe and blissfully ignorant." She said as she pointed to the civilians passing by. Jaune nodded in acceptance.

"Excuse me?" They turned to see an old woman in a wheelchair. "Someone parked their car by mine's side, but they are blocking my doors and I can't access it. Can you help me, officers?"

"Officers?" Coco wondered for a moment. "Sorry, but we…"

"I'll see what I can do, ma'am. Can you please point me to your car?" Jaune offered, and the woman smiled and took them to her car, a small adapted van, where a big low ride old car was parked over the painted area signalizing the handicapped slot. "Alright, this won't take long."

He adjusted his fingerless gloves and Coco observed with heightened interest, as he grabbed the car side and easily lifted it from the ground, moving it to the right spot and allowing the woman to access the lifts installed on her car. After she thanked them and left, Coco slapped him in the back, making him wince a little.

"You know, I never expected you to be this strong. But you did something without my orders." She said and he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Sorry?"

"It's fine, but keep it in mind when we fight Grimm." She then grabbed his armed and started feeling his muscles. "How you can be so thin yet so strong?"

"Hmm…" He murmured as he felt her thin hands feeling his arm up. He was about to say something when they heard a call from the radio.

" _Attention all units near the red area north, reports of Grimm sighting. Repeat…_ "

"Come on, Arc, we're close to it." Coco urged as she grabbed his arm and started dragging him.

"W-wait… What's a red area?"

"The worst parts of the city. It's also where most Grimm appears." She said as she put him inside the car.

…

Jaune observed as they moved to the outskirts of the city, into a decaying neighborhood full of old buildings falling apart, garbage spread around and poor people walking here and there. He felt that was wrong and wanted to do something, but then he was there to help, somehow. If a Grimm was sighted there, those people were easy targets. The car stopped close to a police car and the duo got off. The officers were blocking the road that led to what appeared to be an abandoned mall.

"Hey guys. What's the sit?" Coco asked with confidence, like she did that several times before.

"We came to check on some gang violence report, and usually the Fivers use that abandoned mall as their base. But when we approached it, we saw some blood trail and something black moving inside, so we called you 'exterminators'." The police officer used the derogatory term they had for Hunters. Coco didn't say anything, but returned to grab some type of case from her car.

"You blues stay here seeing if your balls match the uniform. Arc, follow me." She said and he obeyed. The walk was short, and soon she stood in front of the decrepit mall, with many broken glass windows. The door was long gone, only the metal frame of the outer gate remained, and there was a big trail of blood from the entrance, and it looked like someone was dragged inside.

"That… doesn't look so good…" Jaune gulped at the sight.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and be just a gang thing. You stay here." Coco said as she took a step inside.

"Wait! We should go together!" He said and took a step forward, but Coco stopped him on his tracks, hand on his chest.

"No. I won't be looking your back, newbie. You stay here and radio if something happens. You don't come inside or I'll fail your ass. Understood?" she said with a harsh tone.

"Yes, ma'am." He answered back, completely unpleased with the situation.

Coco walked deep inside the dark halls of the mall, the sky roof too dirt to let sunlight pass fully, so she walked into the shadows, stepping on broken glass and garbage, staring at the abandoned stores as she got forward. Soon she arrived at the main plaza, where stairs were located, as it was many abandoned furniture and a creepy fast-food mascot statue. She came closer to it and kicked it down, then she heard steps around.

From the shadows jumped a reptile-like creature, that had no arms, just legs, a thick tail and a big head with sharp teeth. Coco hit it with her case, sending it over a table, before she changed the case into a mini-Gun and showered it with bullets, killing the Creep-type Grimm. She smiled to herself as she checked the creature turning into ashes, and prepared to return before she heard more steps. A dozen or so Creeps started surrounding her. She reached for her scroll and contacted Jaune.

"Arc, call for backup… all you can. DO NOT come inside." She said as she cut the call before he could answer. "Alright, ganging up in a beautiful woman while she's alone in the dark. You guys do justify the name, you Creeps!"

She fired her weapon against the beasts, but only hit one before the others started running and hissing at her. She fired again and again, hitting one or two creatures before her weapon had no more Dust rounds. She cursed as a Creep jumped on her and she put her gun between them, but its teeth were biting close, and she could even feel the stench from its mouth. She struggled to get it away, while she could hear the other Creeps getting closer, their claws tapping in the stone floor like the tics of a clock.

" **Command** "

"Rider PUNCH!"

" **Rider Punch Ready**!"

The Creep that was upon her was sent flying against an empty store before it burst in golden flames and disappeared. She saw a gauntleted hand being offered and took it, seeing him for the first time in his armor. She took some time to admire the angular armor covering most of his body, the gold accenting its edges, almost like medieval armor, except by the helmet, most white with the big golden eyes. There were also many places that looked like air intakes, especially in the shoulder plates and chest. She could see why some people compared him to some kind of superhero.

"Are you hurt?" Jaune asked her, and she felt the worry on his voice.

"I'm not hurt, but you disobeyed my orders." She complained playfully as she proceeded to reload her weapon, as the Creeps started to surround them again.

"I do not abandon my partners." He answered simple, gaining a little chuckle from her.

"Well, look at that, I won't die alone." She said as she finished reloading her weapon.

"How about none of us die?" Jaune retorted as a Creep jumped on him, only to meet a boot to the head. "Let's start this."

Coco opened fire once more, while her partner kept any Creep away from her, until the whole batch was dead. The duo stayed at the middle of the plaza, waiting to see if anymore would appear, as the dead Creeps turned into ashes. After a few seconds, they relaxed a little before turning to each other.

"I think…" Jaune started when a creep double the size of the others jumped on him from the second floor and dragged him against a wall, making Coco's blood run cold.

"Jaune!"

Se readied her gun to avenge him when she noticed the Creep was being pushed back and saw that Jaune was alive, holding the monster's jaws with his hands, the golden details of his armor and eyes shining, as the golden orb in his belt emitted a circling light. He then gave a big push against the Creep, tossing it a few steps back. The glow in Jaune's armor faded and he kneeled as if tired, while steam came out of the air intakes. Coco didn't give the Grimm chance to attack again and fired against its leg, breaking it.

"This ends now!" Jaune shouted as he got back up. " **Command** " "Rider KICK!" " **Rider Kick READY!** "

Coco saw as by the sides of his legs some kind of small jets came out and thrusted him high in the air, before the same kinds of jets from his back thrusted him downwards in direction of the big Creep, his right leg shining golden before the impact, that tossed the Grimm into the stairs behind it and the creature died engulfed into gold flames.

"Do you want to wait for backup outside?" Jaune asked Coco, pointing to the exit with his thumb.

"What, won't you take me to a movie and carry my bags?" She joked, but walked with him to the exit, making him chuckle and shake his head. Then she slapped his butt. "Bwah!?"

"Nice job back there… and nice butt."

...

"The site is clear now." Port reported to Cmdr. Goodwitch as he emerged from the abandoned mall, and the police entered the building after him. "And… I found only bloodied clothes of the people that was there."

"Tell everyone to stay quiet about this. We don't want a panic right now. Those incidents are becoming more frequent." Glynda commented as she sent a report to Ozpin via her scroll, while Port wiggled his moustache.

"Do you think this increase in Grimm is a natural occurrence?"

"We don't even know if creatures of Grimm are a natural occurrence at all. I just hope those incidents don't escalate." She finished before moving towards Jaune and Coco, both sat at the girl's car hood. The boy stood up when Glynda approached, while Coco remained sat on the hood of the car. He was clear nervous, while the girl kept her blasé disposition. "How are you both?"

"I'm fine, ma'am." Jaune said politely, but a little tired.

"Had better, had worse." Coco said as she stretched.

"I'll have a complete report of this incident by tomorrow morning, and none of you will comment on this event to the public, including your friends at Beacon." She warned both, and while Jaune gave a silent nod in agreement, Coco rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, hush the fact there was a pack of Grimm in a populated neighborhood."

"And what good revealing this fact will cause, Ms. Adel? They won't be safer, and triggering a panic would be ill-advised. While I do understand your point of view, I SAW what happens when people panic. Ten years ago, still is a fresh memory to me." She warned, and Jaune had to resist the urge to ask what happened then. "Mr. Arc, do you mind giving me and Ms. Adel a minute."

"No, of course not. I'll be… somewhere…" He said awkwardly as he moved away from them, and Glynda turned to Coco.

"I know you still believes we are hiding information about that incident, Ms. Adel, but I assure you we aren't. What happened to her…"

"I know the official report. It explains what happened, not why happened. Anything else?" Coco said in a rather angry tone, and Glynda sighed.

"How did he performed?" She asked pointing at Jaune, who stood on the street corner, staring at his feet.

"He disobeyed my instructions to stay outside, but saved me from getting one head shorter… He's alright in my book." The brunette said, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Let's just hope he doesn't turn like you. You two can take the rest of the day off, but remember I'll have your reports by tomorrow morning, unless you want your pay docked." Glynda warned and walked away, while Coco let out a long breath.

"Hey, Jaune!" She called, startling him for a moment before he approached her. "We got the rest of the day off, so I'm paying you dinner. So, get in the car."

"Uh… yes, ma'am…" he said as he got on the passenger's seat.

"No ma'am me, Jay. You can call me Coco." She said, and before he could say anything else, she hit the gas pedal and screeched away from the scene.

…

"Kamen Rider…" Blake wondered as she searched her scroll for info, while her designated partner snored by her side.

She delved into the darkest corners of the Dustnet, a place usually reserved for the darkest fetishes, the worst cybercrimes and conspiracy theorists. She soon found what she was searching for, a series of reports about the Vale Riots of ten years before, where for a whole day violence consumed the city. There were several conflicting reports about what caused it, but many accused the Faunus population for the riot. She found some old testimonies, and she focused on one of them, that had a photo attached.

 _He came to us saying he would help the case, that he would make the White Fang objectives be reached with ease. I mistrusted him from the start, a guy who never took that stupid insect helmet off. At first, everyone was wary, but then the fucker actually pulled it off many of the schemes he had, and we were pressing the Council with our demands. The last act would get us the revolution we wanted, but then he betrayed us! Killed our man together with those Council members and incited the damn riot_!

She opened the attached photo and there was a blurred picture, clearly showing someone in armor and with an insect-like helmet. Underneath it a subtitle.

 _The Kamen Rider_.

…

"Everything is going as planned, Cinder. The process is working, but taking its time." Emerald said over her scroll, as disgusting sounds and pained voices could be heard.

" _Excellent. Be sure to register every moment, so we can perfect the process_." Came the voice, almost sounding pleased with the turn of events. Emerald stared at their victims, and once again doubt crossed her mind. " _Is there something wrong_?"

"No, Cinder. Nothing wrong. Did Roman succeed in his job?"

" _Yes, he did. Though once again reports of that Kamen Rider came. The result was what we wanted, but he's piquing my interest. He dealt with the Grimm Roman made too easily. Now I want to see how he will deal with our new creations_." She said as an evil smile graced the brunette's face. " _Emerald, I want you to create a way to attract him to fight them_."

"As you wish." The mint-haired girl said as the communication ended, then she watched in disgust the events unfolding in front of her.

…

 **A.N.: I don't want to make Jaune too overpowered compared to the rest of the cast, as I don't want to make them useless in combat, but I still want to show him off a little. I also want even the weakest Grimm to feel like a threat, instead of how the show portray many of them as just cannon fodder for the cast. I won't use a lot of the secondary cast, because one of the main fails of RWBY is that they are constantly adding characters that are simple wrote off when not in need. Some favorites will appear, but I want them to be more important than just a character for the RT crew to dub.**

 **I also don't want to write a romance plot right away, and might as well try unusual pairings. I also want to connect the characters in different ways, and have some of their backstory retold to fit this AU, so there will be some meaningful changes as how they connect to each other.**

 **There won't be Kamen Riders from the TV shows here, only original ones, though I might drop a homage here and there**. **Another change to the RWBY universe is that Beacon will be a little more organized and less school-esque than in the show, more like a branch of the police forces than anything else. I also don't intend to use OCs aside Jaune's family that I used in previous works like in** _ **Seven Days for the Flaming Moon**_ **and** _ **Shared Hearts**_ **. That's all for today**.


	3. Partners in Ride

"...and then I got ice-cream." Nora happily told her misadventures with Yatsunashi Daichi, her temporary partner, and how they broke up some kids' fight and all of them got ice-cream in the end. Yang was laughing her ass off, while Ruby had a big smile on her face. Ren simple nodded in appreciation.

"Pyrrha? Are you alright?" Jaune asked as he noticed she was a little downtrodden and poking her scrambled eggs. She blinked once and gave a small sigh.

"Nothing… it's just… My partner took me to a business center, and too many people came asking for autographs and pictures and nothing unusual happened." She lamented, as it wasn't her desire to just stand somewhere and look pretty.

"That doesn't sound too bad. I mean, we're here to keep peace, so peaceful is good." Weiss stated as she finished her food. "Besides, you didn't have to get into the sewers because someone said they saw a Grimm down there. All I found was rats and a new-found appreciation for long baths. We should say we're lucky if we don't get to fight Grimm every week."

"Word. But today I heard we're getting our partners for our one-year training. We might even have our first day without supervising!" Yang celebrated, but Ruby groaned aloud.

"Why can't I just stick to Velvet! She was really nice! Or with you? Why I need a partner!" She complained.

"They get our backs when we find more than we can bite. And come on, Rubes, you have a high chance to get one of us as partner." Jaune tried to cheer her up, and her small smile towards him apparently worked.

"I do hope I get a fitting partner. Say, Pyrrha, how about we both become partners?" Weiss said with a proud smile. The redhead girl returned the smile, but it was the same one she usually put for sponsors and galas.

"I… was just thinking of letting the chips where they may…" Was her polite answer.

"I'm just saying we need to find the best partners we can, and you're the best one around here." The white-haired girl said as a matter of fact, and while Pyrrha took pride on her skills, she wasn't one to brag about them.

"How about Jauney? He has a cool bike… not as cool as mine, vomit boy… and he can kick ass!" Yang stated, while Nora giggled because of the word 'ass'. Weiss observed the blonde boy for a while, and he awkwardly waved at her, then she scoffed.

"I think you'd be a wonderful partner, Jaune." Pyrrha offered with a smile, making him blush a little.

 _Attention, all cadets, please move to the assembly hall for the last try-out in twenty minutes_. _Please change into casual attire before-hand._

"Wait… one last try-out? I thought yesterday was the last one!" Jaune protested and groaned.

"We might just go and be done with it." Blake said as she closed her ever present book. "I'm curious on why we need to be in our casual attires."

"Twenty minutes is not enough to change and be amazyang." Yang punned and they all groaned.

…

"Cinder?!" Emerald jumped in surprise as her boss entered the abandoned warehouse, followed by Mercury Black, the other henchman at her service. She walked with the same confidence and poise she always had, even in such dirt place. The man just had the jerk smirk he always had.

"Good day, dear Emerald. I came to see how the experiment is progressing." She stated and the girl shifted a little uncomfortable.

"You didn't have to come to such place, I could've sent the report by scroll." Emerald affirmed as she moved to the back of the place. "The… subject finally fully changed. And the result is as expected."

"Subject?" Mercury wondered. "I thought you applied the serum in four bums."

"I did, but only one survived the transformation. The subject is… waiting." She affirmed as she took them to the subject. Mercury made a wary face, while Cinder smiled and laughed.

"Perfect. Let's see if we can get Beacon's Kamen Rider to test our new friend's abilities." She ordered.

…

"Attention, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, and why we separated you all in two groups. I'm also sure you all heard about partners, and indeed you'll get partnered today." Glynda started to speak, and the cadets started whispering to themselves. Jaune, Weiss, Nora and Ruby were on one side, while Ren, Pyrrha, Yang and Blake were on the other. They all had to give their scrolls to the instructors, while Pyrrha's group were given red ribbons.

"The group with the red ribbons will be taken to different police departments around the city of Vale, where they should wait. The second group should rush to those VPDs and take the ribbon of the desired partner. The ones with the ribbon can defend their ribbons if so they wish, but once taken they should follow the person that took it back to Beacon." Ozpin informed, causing several gasps from the crowd. "The second group can try to steal a ribbon from someone who took one and take their partner, but once you arrive at Beacon grounds, the competition stops."

"Are they kidding me?" Weiss growled. She had a chance of partnering with Pyrrha in that system, yet she felt it was a stupid system, while the redhead was quite pleased with it. Ruby was pale and out of it.

"You have till sundown to come back with a partner. Failing to acquire one means you'll be sent home." Glynda added, then she saw Weiss with her hand in the air.

"Ma'am, what happens to the cadets on the VPDs if none of the second group is able to take our ribbon?"

"You'll be sent home. So, I recommend to not be too choosy." Ozpin answered the question, and Weiss growled as she put her hand down. "Now, the cadets bond to the VPDs follow Sergeant Port to the busses that will take you there. The rest of you will wait on hour before the start of the competition. You can use any means you have to cross the city."

"Ren!Ren! You better not allow anyone to take your ribbon besides me! Or I'll be very angry and you know what happens when I'm angry! Or hungry! Hmm, now I really could go for some pancakes." Nora shouted, while Ren just gave a small nod.

"Awww… Now I won't have either of you as partners." Ruby lamented.

"Come on, Ruby, it's not so bad." Jaune once again tried to cheer her up. "You can always go for Pyrrha or Blake."

"I suppose…" She said as she stared at her own feet. Yang petted her head, trying to comfort her, while Jaune smirked.

"Come on. I'll give you a ride to town, then we go find our future partners. I'll even buy you some ice-cream along the way." Ruby perked up at the mention of dessert, and Jaune chuckled as he and the others followed to the garage.

…

"Convenient." Emerald murmured to herself as she closed her scroll with news of what Beacon was up to. Their contact inside was doing the job well, and now she had a chance to attract he Kamen Rider to the trap. Sounds behind her made her shiver and she turned to the shadows, where Cinder's new pet waited. "You'll be busy soon."

…

Pyrrha sat at the steps of the VPD in the western side of the city and sighed. Two hours had passed and no one had come for her yet. Some cadets have passed by, and for a moment they moved to approach her, but as soon as she readied her spear they turned around. Apparently, none of them believed they could take her ribbon in combat. Sighing again she observed as the people walked around, busy with their lives, and sometimes she gave an autograph to someone that recognized her.

"Pyrrha?" The voice surprised her, as she saw a red clad small figure walked towards front of the VPD. She recognized the hoodie anywhere, but her smile grew bigger as Ruby removed her hood and approached her. "I thought you'd be whisked right away by the others. This is like the fourth VPD I reached and the others were already gone."

"You'd be surprised." She said as she readied her spear and shield, making the small girl stop on her tracks, looking at the tip of the weapon. Pyrrha's smile faltered for a second.

"Uh, so… we're doing this the hard way?" She asked, and the champion's smile resumed.

"Wouldn't be fair with the others if I just gave my ribbon to you." She affirmed, and she got in a defensive posture, unfolding her Crescent Rose.

"What if I ask pretty please?" She tried, and the other girl giggled, before plunging forward.

Ruby dodged the first strike, but the other girl was a fierce fighter, and was more flexible than she ever could be, so it made the reaper take a few steps back as she tried to avoid her sharp blade. Ruby at first avoided the offensive, but seeing how tireless the girl was and determined, she moved and hit a strike on her shield, launching her a few steps back.

"You're strong." Pyrrha affirmed as she readied for the attack again. Ruby chuckled and got in position too, this time starting the attack.

Pyrrha was happy, smiling as she traded blows with the smaller girl. She was fast, and even was being a nice challenge. But most of all, she was giving his all against the champion, while many others would have given up or even not bothering trying. But as all good things had to come to an end, she swiped her feet and threw him on his back, then put her foot on Ruby's belly and pointed her spear towards her opponent. Ruby groaned at that, and relaxed.

"So, I think we won't be partners…" She said as Pyrrha relaxed and helped her on her feet, then he felt she wrapping with the long red ribbon.

"I think we will, if you want to." She said and Ruby smiled sheepishly and nodded.

…

Jaune cruised the streets, following the GPS on his scroll to the next VPD. Apparently, competition for partners were being fierce, as most of the previous visited precincts were already empty. Maybe he needed to rush if he wanted to avoid getting too late and picking anyone, so he accelerated towards the closest precinct.

It was a nice precinct in a gardened area, and sat in the steps was a familiar flock of blonde hair, wearing her fighting attire, but her red ribbon was knotted on her top, while she lazily basked in the sun. He had to admit she looked gorgeous as the sun shone upon her skin and hair. He walked towards hair and she opened one lilac eye, grinning as she identified him.

"Heya, vomit boy. No partner yet?" She asked as she stretched, almost like a model reading for a picture.

"No, not yet. Working on your tan? It would suit nicely on you." He replied to the small talk, and she gave a small nod.

"I know. So, wants me as your awesome partner?" She asked as she got up and walked towards him, cocking her hips with one hand on then, the other caressing her goldilocks.

"If you're alright with me being yours. Or do you prefer to wait for Rubes?" He asked and she frowned slightly. It wasn't that she disliked the idea, it was that she believed Ruby needed to go out of her comfort zone more. Finding another partner would help with her social skills, she believed.

"Nah. But you do have to pass the test everyone else failed." She said, and he cocked an eyebrow in question, then she pushed her ample breasts forward, forcing the ribbon to stretch. "See, I tide my ribbon on my top, and it's the only thing stopping me from flashing my babies around, since I'm not wearing a bra."

"Uh?" He questioned, trying to see why she even thought of doing something like this.

"See, if you really want to be my partner, you need to take a great risk: exposing me to the public, where I'll punch you unconscious." She armed her shotgun-gauntlets as to make a point about it. "Then you need to ask yourself: are you brave enough to do this?"

Jaune blinked once, twice, then groaned and took a step forward, pulling her ribbon without hesitation, surprising her. The ribbon got undone and hang freely on his hand, while her top… kept in place, thin nylon string keeping it tied. He also saw the strap of a bra. Yang stared down, then at him, then buttoned her top with a smirk.

"How did you know?"

"You don't color me as someone to risk such exposure. You like to tease, and showing just enough to boil someone's blood, but you wouldn't risk not being in control. You would never allow others to see what you don't want to show." She stared blankly for a moment, before bursting in the cutest, sweetest fit of laugh Jaune ever saw. She couldn't believe he figured her out so easily, but then, she was now quite relieved he became her partner.

"Maybe I should smack you around just because." She affirmed as she recovered her breath, and gave a small punch on his chest. "Now, come on, let's ride your bike. I was eager to try it out and compare with my Bumblebee."

"Bumblebee?" He asked as they walked to his bike, and she gave it an appreciative gaze, before running her hand on its frame.

"My bike. I think it was appropriate to name it. How about yours? Do it have a name?" She asked and he nodded.

"Hopper." He answered and she could see why, since it's front looked like a grasshopper head.

"Alright. Do you mind if I pilot? You can then hug me from behind." She sang, and he blushed at the idea, making her smirk.

"I'll drive. He said as he grabbed a second helmet from his bike's seat compartment and gave to her, then put his own and mounted the bike. Yang sat behind him, and hugged his waist and pressed herself on his back.

"Let's go. Take a scenic route, alright."

He tried to ignore the sensation on his back and started the engine. Yang loved the sounds the engine was making, and was surprised as Jaune accelerated towards the streets. She expected him to be the kind to take a nice and slow ride, taking no risks and respecting all little driving laws in the book. Instead he was doing a joyous, even if mostly safe, ride.

They took to a new neighborhood where many new buildings were built recently, in place of some old warehouses. There was still a few ones, mostly abandoned, and some buildings still being erected. She was completely relaxed, feeling the wind caressing her skin, and her hair flowing from under the helmet. So, she got a little scared as Jaune suddenly stopped.

She was about to complain when she saw a small girl, no older than eight, in the middle of the mostly empty street. A few people on the sidewalks and windows of the buildings stared at the scene, while she jumped of the bike and got to check the girl. She had a white dress, and mint-colored hair, with tan skin and red eyes, and was crying, holding into a doll.

"Hey, are you alright?" Yang asked, her sisterly instincts kicking in.

"M-my brother…" She murmured, and Yang tilted her head, as Jaune joined them.

"What happened to your brother?" Yang pressed, voice laced in gentleness.

"He… we're playing hide'n'seek and he ran towards the old warehouse, even if mom says we can't go there… It's dark and scary and I'm afraid to go there…" The girl explained. Yang gave a small frown, then a big smirk.

"Don't worry, this big sister here will go and find your brother." She spoke and the small girl nodded. Yang gave Jaune a quick glance and he nodded in agreement, before he moved to the bike and moved it out of the street. The two blondes walked to the old warehouse between some new buildings, and Jaune took his scroll and passed a dispatch back to Beacon. They stood in the damaged fence, who was unable to keep anything outside, and the blonde girl turned to the small child. "You wait here until the police come, we'll give a search, alright?"

The girl nodded, and both blondes walked towards the abandoned warehouse. If they had bothered to look back, they wouldn't see the girl anymore.

…

"Nora…" Ren sighed as his childhood friend was clinging on him with her arms and legs, big smile on her face, but made no movement in the sense of losing her grip on him. "We need to go back to Beacon."

"You better get moving then." She answered, smile still present.

"I can't with us like this." He affirmed, and she just moved to his back, getting a piggyback ride.

"Problem solved." She said as he sighed and started walking, not minding the surprised stares of others.

…

"This place stinks… though with a good clean up we can make a party here." Yang said as they entered the warehouse, staring at the open space filled with junk. Jaune didn't answered, mostly because he didn't like that kind of party, but also because he didn't like the place at all. It felt wrong.

"We forgot to asks the boy's name." He ushered, a little angry at himself. Yang patted his shoulder in support.

"Well, that's not a problem. Hello?" She shouted, her voice echoing through the empty space. "Hey, the game is over, your sister is worried about you. Come on and I'll give you some candy!"

Jaune chuckled about it, seeing as how Yang had that side he only saw on his own sisters, so he assumed it was something all older sisters shared. Then they both heard something, the sound of cans being dropped. They both gave a small jump, and Jaune instinctively grabbed his Rider Belt from his pocket, while Yang readied her gauntlets. Suddenly something was shot at Jaune, some kind of sticky, whiteish rope that wrapped his chest and arms, then he was pulled down.

"Jaune!" Yang shot, then she heard sounds above and saw a creature she never saw before.

It had a humanoid body, and was hanging on the ceiling with six pairs of spider-like limbs on its back. The arms ended in clawed, three fingered hands, and the legs were long and thin, with the face covered in bone-like plates where several red eyes were spread, the mouth sporting fangs dropping with a greenish, thick liquid. She stared wide-eye at the Grimm creature, but had never heard of something like that before.

"Food…" The creature croaked out in an inhuman voice, as it slowly pulled Jaune closer, and Yang eyes widened even more, since she never heard of any Grimm speaking. Taken out of her surprised she cocked her gauntlets and fired two shells at the creature, that let go of the boy and jumped to the side, still on the ceiling. The creature shot a web from his crotch, and the girl jumped out of its way.

"EEEEWWWW! I don't want to be hit by that!" She exclaimed as she fired a couple more shots, making two holes on the ceiling, while Jaune tried to get rid of the web-like rope. The creature jumped on Yang, but she punched it midair, firing a shell at the same time and sending the creature flying into a pile of old barrels. Yang was about to help Jaune when the creature jumped out of the barrels and into her, grabbing her arms and hissing at her face. "No kiss on first date, you creep!"

She kicked the creature in the guts, but it barely flinched. The creature tossed her to the side, and slowly crept toward her as she landed on her feet. The spider-monster made a sudden jerk and closed the distance, only to be met with several punches from Yang, the last one sending if flying back again, but the creature still got up as if unhurt.

"Alright, this is not fun anymore. I hate persistent guys that don't get a clue." She said as she cocked her gauntlet, only to see her arm being hit by a web-ball and gluing into a steel pillar.

"Food… hungry… kill…" The creature hissed out as it walked toward her. The girl growled and her eyes shone red as she tried to free her gauntlet. She was ready to punch it, but knew the situation was a little grim.

" **Command** " "Henshin!" " **Arc Ride Activated**!"

Both the creature and Yang turned to see Jaune, in his Kamen Rider form, readying a punch and hitting the creatures face with a direct, then he did an uppercut and finished with a kick, sending it away and into a bunch of junk. He moved towards Yang, and she admired the armor a little, before he grabbed her trapped gauntlet with both hands and pulled it free.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and she nodded as she freed the weapon from the sticky web.

"Yeah, but what's is that?!"

"I don't know, but it's not a common Grimm. We can't let it go." He urged as the creature got up and moved to the ceiling again.

"Damn it!" Yang said as she fired several shots against the creature, but it was too agile to be hit and soon she was out of ammo. "How we get that thing down?!"

"My mon always used a broom to take spiders and other insects off the ceiling." Jaune said, but before Yang could call the idea ridiculous he simple took a long steel beam and easily lifted it. She smirked and reloaded her gauntlets and fired against the spider-Grimm, making it move towards Jaune. Once in position, the Kamen Rider hit it with the steel beam and made it drop on the ground, before hitting it again with the beam. There was a crack, and the creature left out a sickening hiss before it rushed outside.

Yang and Jaune ran after it, and once outside they couldn't find the monster, until it used its web on the boy's feet and pulled him, tossing him against a wall. Yang growled in fury and burst into flames, using the shotguns to propel her forwards, then hit the spider Grimm in the shoulder, the sound of bones breaking being heard as the creature dropped the web and staggered backwards.

"Die… die…" The creature said as it tumbled forwards.

"This ends now!" Jaune shouted as he pressed a button on his belt. " **Command** " "Rider KICK!" " **Rider Kick READY!** "

He jumped into the air and propelled himself at the Grimm, hitting it on the chest. The creature fell on its back and was engulfed by golden flames, squirming for a few seconds before turning into ashes. Jaune left out a relieved sigh and removed his armor, only to be hugged by Yang.

"Are you alright?" She asked, and he nodded and caressed her arms in reassurance.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'd be better if I had destroyed that thing myself." She said as she broke the hug. "It was way sturdier than normal Grimm… and smarter…"

"Yeah… I'm just glad we took it down." He said as they heard sirens approaching. "The police are here, so they can help finding that boy… I hope he is unharmed."

…

"Disappointing." Cinder said as Emerald showed the footage they had took of Kamen Rider's fight against the spider-Grimm. "It was defeated relatively easily, and even the blonde girl gave it trouble."

"I think it would have defeated the girl if she was alone. Only her last attack actually did something against it, but this… Kamen Rider seems to be effective against it." Emerald chimed in, and Cinder took her words in consideration.

"I'm saying I can take care of him. Let me take him in a dark alley and no one will find him ever again." Mercury smugly suggested, making emerald roll her eyes at him. But then Cinder tossed a file towards him and he stared at it.

"We aren't changing the plans because of him yet. While the first try brought us less than stellar results, I don't want them to suspect our involvement. Let them believe the Grimm are evolving on their own. You, dear Mercury, have a new target, a traitor we don't want speaking with the authorities. Make it seems it was a random crime." Cinder affirmed and the silver-haired man took the file, where a picture of a books store and its owner was inside. "Emerald, find new test subjects, we'll have an improved version of the serum soon. We'll let this Kamen Rider for its own devices till then."

"Yeah, sure." Mercury said as he left, and Emerald gave him a dirty look and then turned towards her mistress.

"Cinder, isn't this a little too dangerous? Those… intelligent Grimm could turn on us." She voiced her worries, but the brunette woman just chuckled.

"We have complete control on them, dear Emerald. The plan goes as is."

…

"They both confirmed each other's report." Glynda said to Ozpin as they checked Jaune's and Yang's case. "The Grimm spoke."

"Indeed, but we can't be sure it's an intelligent effort or just parroting a few words. Though there's no doubt it is a new form of Grimm. One that seems to be dangerous if two of our cadets had trouble defeating it. Though if they are evolving, I'm afraid we Hunters might not be enough to defeat them." Ozpin said simply, sipping on his coffee. "Qrow sent me a report, and apparently, she is doing her movements. This might had been one of them."

"The Council is worried, and even Atlas is asking us about more information in that regard." She said, and Ozpin sipped on his coffee again, his expression barely hinting any change. "Please tell me you have a counter-measure."

"Until we have more information, all we can do is react. Besides, Mr. Arc might be a force on our favor."

…

"And we're finally back." Jaune said as the sun was almost gone in the horizon, parking his bike close to Yang's, and both blondes dismounted and left out tired sighs.

"I don't get it. How no one saw us talking to the girl? The witnesses all though we stopped to rescue a kitty or something… And no reports of a missing girl matching her description." Yang said as they walked towards the main building. Jaune nodded in understanding, as the police found no one inside the warehouse aside the rests of a homeless camp.

"It bothers me too… But nothing we can do about it, partner." He said with a tired smile, that she tried to return. "Come on, we need a bath, some food and rest."

She nodded and they walked towards the entrance, until a red blur hugged Yang tightly. She stared downwards to see her little sister giving a toothy smile towards her, so the brawler ruffled her hair and saw Pyrrha and the others at the door too.

"We were waiting for you two." The champion explained. "You two are probably the last ones."

"Uh." Yang let out as she saw the sun was no more, and the gates were being closed. "We got delayed."

"Or you two were sucking each other's faces!" Nora shouted and pointed accusatorily at the duo, and while Jaune gave a disbelieving look at the energetic girl, Yang laughed aloud.

"Not a chance. This girl here needs a lot of dates before doing that." She answered and Ruby blushed.

"Wait… were you two on a date?!" She asked in honest surprise. "Dad won't be happy!"

"We weren't on a date!" Jaune burst out and Yang laughed again.

"Indeed, we weren't. But I'll tell about it later. Who you got as partner, Rubes?" Yang asked, and Ruby looked towards Pyrrha, who nodded and smile. "Lucky you! I'm glad you got a nice girl like Pyrrha, so be sure to get along, alright?"

"I don't think it will be a problem." Pyrrha said as she rested a hand on her partner's shoulder and gave her a smile. "I believe we'll be great friends."

"Well, at least you chose your partner." Weiss scoffed.

"It's not my fault you thought the guy who took my ribbon was Pyrrha's partner." Blake deadpanned as she talked from over the book. "Besides, I didn't expect you to just stalk the entrance and steal the ribbon from someone."

"It was well within the rules, and that way I'd have the partner of my choosing!" Weiss defended herself. She simple waited there, saw Pyrrha coming with Blake, Ruby and that guy she didn't remembered the face and assumed it was him the champion's partner. When she rushed inside with Pyrrha, she didn't expect Blake and Ruby to follow and make her mistake official.

"I'll let you girls talk. I really need a bath." Jaune said as he walked inside.

"Oh, we already got our dorms assigned!" Nora happily informed him. "It'll be great! They have bunker beds, private bathrooms and I'll be sleeping with Ren!"

"She means in the same room, not in the same bed." He deadpanned back.

"Yeah, that's… wait… are they… mixing genders?" Jaune asked worriedly.

"Partners share a room, silly!" Nora answered and he paled as he gave Yang a glare, and she smirked and winked at him.

He was doomed.

…

 **A.N.: New chapter done, yay!**

 **I decided to pair Jaune and Yang, though I was thinking of going with more traditional pairings, but then, where's the fun? Ren and Nora are unbreakable though, yet they won't be more than friends here. I'm still unsure of pairings in the future, might try something new and that very few writers do. See ya!**


	4. Ride of the White Fang

The heavy metal music wasn't how Jaune wanted to Wake up, and he definitely could go without hitting the metal frame of the bed above him. As he groaned and massaged his head, he made a mental note to not allow Yang choose the wake-up song for them, if only to avoid a concussion every morning. He turned it down and sat on his bed, scratching a little and looking at the small room he got with his partner.

The bunker beds were built in the wall, and a big window shone light into the room. The other side had two tables for studies and other activities, but there wasn't much room to do anything else. He got up and grabbed his uniform as they had instruction in the morning, and stared at the upper bed, where Yang slept, hair everywhere, sheets tossed to the side exposing much of her skin, since she slept just in short-shorts and wore a very revealing top. Jaune sighed and shook her gently, wondering how she didn't woke up with the heavy metal. He entered the small privative bathroom, where Yang's beauty items took most the space, took a quick shower and put the uniform on, then he moved back to the room to see his partner was still asleep.

"Yang…" He called her, approaching the bed and touching her hand, then suddenly her hand grabbed his t-shirt and pulled him close, red eyes dangerously stared at him, making him gulp.

"You have guts to wake me up so early, vomit boy. I should punch them so you will know better…" She complained, voice still dripping in sleepiness.

"Come on, you know the commander is angry already because of our tardiness. I don't want to see you punished." He pleaded, and her eyes returned to her usual lilac as she sighed deeply and nodded. He smiled and gently pushed her hand from his shirt. "I'll wait outside, so you can have privacy. Just don't take too long. You're already beautiful."

"Flirter." She said as he chuckled and scratched the back of his head before heading out for the door. "Jaune…" She called, making him turn around. "You're a good partner."

He nodded in appreciation and left so she could change.

…

"He's waiting inside." Emerald affirmed to her mistress as she opened the door of the fancy sedan, and Cinder stepped outside, observing the old building where her next meeting was supposed to happen. She disliked both the place and the people she was going to meet inside, but knew that the next step needed those kind of people, ones that asked few questions when offered power, and that would blindly follow if they were conducted well enough.

"Then better not let him waiting." She said.

The duo walked inside, Emerald carrying a case in one hand. The inside of the building was worse than the outside, and several people wearing Grimm like masks observed the two women as they confidently walked towards the back of the building, where a larger room existed, probably an old assembly hall. Sitting in an old armchair was a tall, slender man with red hair, wearing mostly black clothes with some red on them, and with a long katana on his hand.

"Mr. Adam Taurus. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She said, though no chair was offered to her, and the man in question barely moved or acknowledged her. "I'm pleased to say that we took care of your little problem already."

Emerald moved forward and showed an image on her scroll, and only the barest of the smiles graced the man's face, returning to its sour expression as soon as the girl moved back to her mistress side.

"So, can I say we proved our intentions?" Cinder asked, and the man gave her a long silence in answer, but she was unfazed. It took a few more moments before he finally spoke.

"You still haven't said exactly what you get from this." His voice came, raspy and unfriendly.

"The same as you. I want change, and I believe we both are powers to that end. The world got stale, therefore to create change, I believe action must be taken. You agree with me, I believe, Mr. Taurus."

"Yes, the world will change, but I do not deal with humans." He said promptly, and some of his gang moved slightly towards the women.

"Then I suppose you don't want the resources I can offer either." She said and emerald opened the case she was carrying, revealing Dust and lien cards. Adam finally stood up and stared at the contents of the case. "let's be honest here, Mr. Taurus, your group may have numbers, but lack resources. I have resources, and can use your numbers. But if you don't want it…"

"Wait…" He finally said, and made a gesture for his followers to stand back. "What exactly you want in exchange."

Cinder left out a victorious smirk.

…

"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby greeted as Pyrrha and she walked out of their room. Jaune was sure room placement wasn't random as they said, for not only the two redheads were their neighbors next door, Ren and Nora and Weiss and Blake had the rooms across the hall.

"Hey, Ruby, Pyrrha. How's it going?" He greeted back.

"Good, great actually. I don't get why people are so afraid of talking with her, she is so nice! She just need to stop saying 'I'm sorry' all the time."

"I'm sorry!" The champion blurted out, making ruby pout at her.

"Pyrrha, we talked about it already! You don't need to be so polite, especially when you did nothing wrong!" Jaune chuckled over the exchange, until he felt someone climbing on his back, and too soft tights wrapped on his head.

"Oh, I can see everything from up here!" Nora's voice came out.

"Nora! You need to get your uniform on!" Ren called, apparently not giving Jaune's situation any mind.

"But Renny, that skirt is so restrictive!" she complained.

"If you don't put your uniform, you can't have pancakes at breakfast."

"Fine…" She jumped off Jaune's back, revealing she was wearing shorts and a loose t-shirt, then she booped the blonde's nose and skipped back to her room. He sighed in relief that she at least was dressed, since Nora wasn't one to be shy… or have a developed sense of shame.

"I envy them… I grew up an only child and never had friends like them." Pyrrha commented, her sadness showing.

"Stay around us and soon you also will be jumping on Jaune's shoulders too." Ruby said in what was supposed to be a supportive manner, but Jaune and Pyrrha traded brief stares before blushing and diverting their gaze.

"Do you all need to be so noisy so soon." Weiss came from her room, followed by Blake. "At least it looks like we won't be late this time, if the other blonde doesn't waste her time in that mane of her."

"You talk like you don't spent an hour with yours." Blake retorted playfully.

"But I wake early to do so. Besides, a Schnee needs to always be presentable." She said proudly.

"I see you two are getting along well." Jaune spoke, and Weiss and Blake stared at him, the raven-haired girl shrugging the question.

"She is a good partner, politer than I expected of anyone around here, and it was easy to found common ground." Weiss stated.

"She means we keep it to ourselves." Blake deadpanned again, but Weiss just shrugged, as it was working perfect till then. "How about you and Yang? You and Ren are the only ones with a partner of a different genre, and we already know how Ren and Nora are."

"We're awesome!" Nora spoke as she and her partner finally left their room, now properly dressed.

"Yeah, please tell me my sister is not giving you a hard time." Ruby almost pleaded, making him chuckle.

"Yang is fine. We had some bumps at the beginning, me being a guy and she a woman after all, but we worked it out. She's actually a great friend, and I'm glad we're partners." He said simply, making ruby sigh in relief, until the door opened and a pair of arms wrapped themselves on him.

"Aww, aren't you adorable!" Yang cooed, speaking from his shoulder. "I think you're a good partner too, partner. But you need a lot of work before turning into a Jaunesome partner."

There was a general groan and a boo from Nora, before the group walked the halls of Beacon to eat breakfast and go to the first class. It was Procedural Behavior with Dr. Oobleck, a thin guy who liked to mix History with how Hunters should proceed in several situations. It was a class Jaune in special struggled due to History being a subject he always lacked. And the fact Oobleck spoke in a thousand words per second manner didn't help.

"The Great Riot of the City of Vale, despite its name, was spread through the whole country as marginalized groups protested the government's lack of effort in curbing inequality and overthrowing many discriminatory laws put in place after the Great War. Now, who here can tell me what started the riots?" He asked as he turned to the cadets.

"Someone forgot to put a leash on the animals." Came a voice from the back, a tall and broad cadet called Cardin Winchester, who already had stablished as the resident jerk. Oobleck stared at him for a second.

"Make another comment in that vein, cadet Winchester, and I'll give you disciplinary punishment. How about you, Mr. Arc, any idea on how the riots started?"

"Eh? I… uuhhh… the violence…" He murmured.

"Yes, the violence against the marginalized people! See, it all started when Hunters like me and maybe in the future all of you attended against a Grimm infestation in a Faunus neighborhood, where their inexperience combined with arrogance lend them to forget protocol and a civilian casualty happened. Can anyone tell the others how the Valean Council answered to the incident… Ms. Nikos?" He turned to the redhead who had her hand up.

"The first attitude of the Council was minimizing the tragedy, and that angered the Faunus population, that moved to protest in front of the Council, demanding some punishment to the Hunters involved. The Council tried to end the protest with the police, which escalated in violence, live on the news." She added.

"Indeed, and that made many others, even non-Faunus, join the protests against the violence being used. Soon hundreds of thousands were on the streets, protesting, and the police force couldn't disperse all of them. The Council tried to call Beacon for help, but our function is to protect people against the Grimm, so our headmaster refused. The situation was in a stalemate, with protestors not dispersing and the Council not accepting their demands." Oobleck showed a picture on the big screen behind him, showing the protests. "Who here knows what happened next? Ms. Belladonna?"

"A bomb exploded in the middle of the crowd. Some said the protestors made it to use against the police, but the official reports say the bomb was too sophisticated to be homemade, and no culprit could be pinpointed."

"Who else except the Faunus could've done that? They are all violent and crazy!" Cardin interjected.

"Winchester! You'll stay after this instruction for disciplinary reasons. I won't tolerate racism from anyone. Many of your fellow Hunters are Faunus, and your attitude towards their species is unacceptable. Besides, Ms. Belladonna is right, no one can pinpoint the creator of the bomb or their intentions. But we know the results. The protests turned into a riot, police fired against civilians, violence escalated until the largest Grimm infestation in Vale's history happened and we had to interfere." He said and then a bell rang. "Next time I'll talk what was done during the riots and how the mistakes made there become the core of many changes on how Hunters act in public. Winchester, stay."

Jaune didn't waste time leaving, and met with his friends outside. They had a little free time before hand combat training, and they talked as happily as usual, except for one girl who was oddly silent… better yet, she was quieter than usual, and that didn't escape her partner.

"Blake, is something bothering you?" Weiss asked, though her voice carried little concern.

"Hmm? Oh… nothing really." She said, though her face had hints of otherwise.

"What was wrong with that Winchester guy though?" Ruby complained, making a pout. "He was so mean to the Faunus."

"He was a jerk alright." Yang agreed, and Blake gave small glares at the sisters.

"He should've kept his opinions to himself. Especially when they were not contributing to the discussion. Even if indeed Faunus had engaged in violence before." Weiss added, and Blake gave a small sigh and grimaced.

"Some have. Don't generalize." Blake cautioned, slightly annoyed. Weiss shrugged.

"They were created for war. It's in their nature." She affirmed, and Blake's face showed hints of anger.

"It's not as long as they have free will." Jaune said out of the blue, his face with a sour expression they never saw before. "If you have free will it's up to you what you do with your life, for good and bad."

"I think… you have a point… Let's not dwell on it." Weiss said and Blake sighed again, but agreed to let it go.

…

"Are we sure about this?" A masked Faunus said as he prepared a bag, looking at its contents.

"Adam said so. Besides, it's time to shake things up again. Even our people grew too complacent and they need this call to arms." Another said as he examined the vial with black liquid inside.

"I'm not drinking that." His friend said as he eyed the weird vial. "I don't care if this could give us an edge in battle. This is…"

"Hey, look, we don't have that many manpower nowadays, not after the riots. Recruiting is hard since no one wants to be White Fang nowadays. Now, remember to keep your Faunus feats hidden. We need to make it seem it was humans that did this." He said as he took his mask off.

…

Jaune was sat on the ground, wearing the shorts and t-shirt provided by Beacon for the combat class. They did train with weapons too, but unarmed combat was deemed important too, so he was quite eager to start, even if that meant fighting his friends. Yang was also barely able to hide her eagerness, and sat by his side, teasing him about how he would 'get a feel of her and some broken bones'. He was trying to keep his eyes from said legs, a challenge for his willpower.

"I hate hand-to-hand combat. Do anyone have actually fight Grimm unharmed?" Ruby pouted as she complained.

"Sergeant Port said he did so." Pyrrha offered, knowing as well as everyone else to not take the round instructor's tales as truth. "And Jaune? In a way?"

"Any skill we take can be helpful. Remember sometimes we do confront other people." Weiss stated as she tried to hide her legs of prying eyes, pulling on her shorts.

"Cadets, please be quiet now." Came the voice of Glynda as she entered the room. There was a surprised silence as she walked wearing shorts as everyone else, though she had a sweatshirt over her upper body, but they all could see her milky legs. Jaune closed his eyes, though most students kept staring. "Today we'll do an evaluation on your hand-to-hand combat. Many of you do have experience in the field, so I might choose some of you as assistants. Others sorely need this training. I'll start with Cadets Belladonna and Bronzewing. Please take center."

Blake closed her book and walked there, completely unfazed, while Dove Bronzewing gave a smirk and walked lazily to the middle. She gave a disinterested appraise towards him, while he chuckled with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Rules are simple. You don't start until I say so, no weapons of any kind, no Semblances. You fight for two minutes. Winner is determined by who have the most Aura remaining or until one of you be unable to fight back, be it by immobilization or knock-out. You stop immediately if I say so. Understood?" The blonde woman asked and the two cadets nodded in understanding, then she left the padded ring and raised her hand. "Begin!"

"Don't worry, cutie, I won't hurt you." Dove said, making the girl roll her eyes.

He dived forward, trying to grab her t-shirt, but she simple moved out of the way. He then tried a kick, and once more she dodged, moving sideways. The rest of the round passed in the same way, Dove trying to hit her and she simple dodging it, a deadpan expression all the time, not dissimilar of that of a cat. Blake's friends couldn't help but try to suppress a few laughs as by the end of the round Dove was panting and sweating, while Blake stood there as nothing happened.

"Stop!" Glynda said and Dove did so, giving a displeased stare to his opponent. "Cadet Belladonna won this match, showing great skill in dodging, though I believe a more pro-active approach would do you good next time. Not all opponents will tire quick enough. Bronzewing, I suggest you train your speed and stamina. Next we'll have Winchester and Arc."

"Good! I've been wanting a round with bug boy since the try-outs." The tall cadet said as he got up, cheered by his friends. Jaune left out a sigh and walked to the middle, giving a few stretches along the way, with his friends and especially his partner shouting support.

"Same rules will apply." Glynda started, while Jaune kept stretching and Cardin readied a boxing position. Seen Cardin's smirk she decided to speak again. "This is just to see your skills, not a competition. Now get ready." Jaune got into a judo stance, hands on the front, right hand high and left hand low, fingers in a claw. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Alright… Be…

THUD!

They all stared in shock as Cardin sucker-punched Jaune before Glynda gave the order, the blonde boy gave a step back and shook his head, then started massaging his jaw, while Yang almost jumped into the fight if Ruby didn't hold her back.

"Oopsie. Sorry, Jaune boy, I jumped -WHACK- OUCH!" Cardin moved his fist before being hit by Glynda's riding crop and staring daggers at the taller boy.

"Winchester, I believe I made it clear that you don't start until I say so. If you try some stunt like this again, I'll do more than a slap on the wrist." She warned, then moved to Jaune and with one hand gently held his face. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. I barely felt it." Jaune said in all honesty, while Cardin growled at the affirmation. Glynda checked her scroll and arched an eyebrow at the information in display.

"You seem so. You can choose ending this fight or getting another opponent." She proposed.

"Nah, let's continue." He answered back and she nodded as they got back in position. Cardin smirked and readied again, as Jaune got back in the same position. There was now an expecting silence in the class.

"Begin!"

With the instructor's command, Cardin tried a direct hit, but Jaune grabbed his arm and used the momentum to throw the bigger cadet over him and dropped him on his back. Cardin felt all air in his lungs leaving, but before he could react Jaune wrapped his legs on the arm and pulled it, making Cardin growl in despair. The tall cadet tried to escape, but could only trash around as Jaune clang on his arm, and both heard Glynda's making a countdown.

"…7 …8 …9 …10, enough!" She ordered, and Jaune let go and got up quickly, giving some distance from Cardin. The other boy got up and moved in his direction, glaring in rage a t him, but stopped as Glynda put herself between them. "That was a good demonstration of skill over brawl, Mr. Arc. Mr. Winchester, you telegraphed your attack quiet easily, you better work on that. You two can seat down."

Jaune didn't waste time and got back to his place, being greeted by his friends, while Cardin scoffed in annoyance and sat back on his, glaring daggers at the blonde.

…

"Ouch… Nora, why you want me dead?" Ruby asked as she rubbed her sore body. Nora giggled and patted her back, causing her to cringe.

"Don't you worry, I'll help you with your CQC." The energetic girl affirmed, causing Ruby to lament. "So, since today we don't have more instructions and we're free to go to the city, who wants to have fun?"

"I do! I do!" Yang chirpily stated with raised hands. Of course, where Nora goes, Ren goes.

"Well, I do want to see the city a little more." Pyrrha offered.

"Then that settles it. We're all going." Yang determined, without further consultation. "I know the best places in town, so be ready to party!"

…

"You're buying new clothes tomorrow." Yang stated as they walked the streets, eyeing Jaune as he walked with his usual clothes. Including the bunny hoodie. It annoyed the blonde, who wore fashionable black and white wares and he just looked ready to hit the arcade, which she didn't doubt he would do if given the chance.

"Sorry, but I prioritized comfort instead of fashion as I chose the clothes to bring to Beacon. I wasn't expecting you all would chose nice clothes. You look great, by the way." The off-handed comment calmed Yang somewhat, but didn't dissuade her of bringing him to some buying spree another day.

They walked towards one of Vale's most picturesque place, the 4th Street Market. The street was large and blocked to traffic, and had many public spaces so it become a space for street performers, food stalls and people selling handmade goods, so it was a popular spot for people with little money. Nora already took Ren to run over every food stall, while Ruby and Pyrrha walked over the handmade goods with childish glee.

"Hmm, they do make some nice things." Weiss said as she checked some hand-painted handkerchiefs.

"I'm surprised a Schnee would like those things." Blake commented, and Weiss sighed.

"Just because my family is rich doesn't mean I don't appreciate good handcraft." She answered back.

"You're rich?" Jaune asked suddenly, surprising everyone.

"You… You… how could you not know that I'm from the same Schnee family as in Schnee Dust Company?!" Weiss screeched indignantly.

"Hey, I don't like to assume." Jaune defended himself. "Besides, it doesn't matter."

Weiss was about to answer when they heard a commotion and saw that Cardin and three other cadets were harassing one of the vendors, an old Faunus selling handmade wooden toys. Yang and Jaune saw it with displeased faces, while Blake was glaring daggers at them.

"Ugh… what they think they're doing harassing the civilians?!" Weiss groaned and walked towards them. "Hey! Stop that!"

"What the… oh, it's the princess." Cardin said with disdain. "This does not concern you."

"It does concern me when a fellow cadet stain Beacon's name by being a mongrel. It sullies every cadet reputation when you behave like a thug." Weiss affirmed, making Cardin and his friends to laugh.

"Go away, snowflake. I'm just dealing with trash."

"Care to repeat that." Blake affirmed as she stood with her partner. Jaune and Yang moved to support them, creating tension between them.

…

"Do you think this is cute?" Ruby asked her partner as she held a small keychain with a teddy bear on the tip. Pyrrha wasn't used to that kind of thing, but she found the keychain adorable. "I'll use it on my scroll. I know it's childish, but…"

"I think it's nice, Ruby. Don't let age getting in the way of what you like." The champion offered with a smile, and Ruby nodded in appreciation. "I'm thinking of getting this one myself."

"Oh, a flower one. It's cute. Maybe we should bring the others here, and everyone can get one, though I'm unsure Jaune would like something…" Ruby mused, and Pyrrha wondered, though the boy always showed a rather sweet disposition over this kind of thing. She was about to say something when she noticed Ruby was staring at an alley, and she followed her gaze. Two men stood there, looking a little shifty.

Ruby walked in their direction, and Pyrrha followed, glad they were allowed to bring their weapons in their time off. The two redheads found no one in the alley, except a fresh painted graffiti of 'Faunus Go Home' and an abandoned handbag. Before Pyrrha could warn Ruby of the contrary, the smaller girl already opened it, revealing a bomb inside.

"This… is no good." Ruby said as they saw it. "And only 30 seconds to blow up!"

"We can't let it explode so close to the market! A bomb that size can hurt a lot of people, nor we can create a panic!" Pyrrha said as she found a steel trash bin and put the bag inside, closing it with the lid.

"Pyrrha, I don't think the trash can will hold it." Ruby said worriedly.

"No, but I can do this." She said as her Aura flared and the trash bin was involved by it, then it was launched like a rocket up in the air. The trash can flew above the buildings, and a few seconds later a huge explosion could be seeing in the sky.

…

"What the…" Yang and the others said as they saw the explosion, then their scrolls started beeping. "It's from Ruby… they… We need to move."

"Hey!" Cardin tried to ask but was ignored, as panic started to settle around the market.

The group found Ruby and Pyrrha on the alley, where she explained what happened, and then they decided to divide and search for the culprits, while at the same time informing Beacon of the fact. They divided in pairs and started combing the surroundings in an attempt to find the bombers.

"Great, and I barely enjoyed my night." Weiss complained as she and Blake walked through the back streets.

"At least Ruby and Pyrrha avoid anyone of getting hurt." Blake added as they moved towards an alley.

"At least." Weiss answered and then saw some shadows. "Look!"

Blake saw it and both girls gave chase. The figures perceived them and ran away through the tight back alleys. The duo was able to keep track of them until the runaways made a wrong turn and were suddenly in a dead end.

"You two better surrender now!" Weiss affirmed as she drew her sword and pointed at them, Blake doing the same. The two runaways stared at each other and drew handguns, firing at the Huntresses in training. Weiss blocked the shots with a glyph, while Blake used one of her shadow clones and then jumped into the attackers, kicking their guns away and keeping then at gun point.

"Now will you surrender?" She demanded as she kicked one of the attacker's hoodie away, revealing a pair of antlers on his head. "What?"

"Faunus? That doesn't make sense." Weiss questioned, remembering of the graffiti in the wall where the bomb was found. "Unless the White Fang was planning on pining the blame on others."

"Are you part of the Fang?" Blake growled at them, but the two Faunus stared at each other, before reaching for their pockets and drinking its contents. Blake moved too late to avoid that. "Damn it! Weiss, call an ambulance and say we might have a poisoning case! Then call the others!"

"On it!" Weiss said as she called on her scroll and turned back.

Blake growled and wondered what was the plan, and why the White Fang would even risk hurting Faunus civilians in the process. They usually kept to tactical targets and Faunus haters, but bombing the street market was not the usual modus operandi, even if to blame on other groups. If they succeeded, they would…

-glurgh-

The weird sound took her from her thoughts as she saw the two terrorists coughing and contorting, and she assumed it was whatever poison they took, until their skin turned pit black and they started to inflate, as she best could define it, and grow. She took a few steps back as the two Faunus grew to the point of their clothes starting to rip, so the raven-haired girl moved to Weiss' side as she finished the call and tapped her partner's shoulder.

"They'll be here any minute now." Weiss informed, but noticed the scared expression on her partner and turned around widening her eyes and walking backwards with her partner.

One of them turned in a deer-like creature, with big antlers with sharp points and edges, a mouth filled with knife-lack teeth and eight legs. The other turned into a giant crow-like Grimm, with menacing talons and beak. The creatures stumbled a little, then focused their red eyes on the two girls.

"Call for backup…" Blake stated. "And run like hell."

…

 **A.N.: I decided to cut a little the Weiss/Blake drama by making Weiss less antagonistic to the Faunus, since in this AU the White Fang isn't as strong and widespread as it is in RWBY. They will still have a part to play, but won't be this deadly, unstoppable force. I also won't be putting Sun and anyone from his team here, because I don't want to inflate the characters' numbers with useless ones.**

 **So, the plot thickens as the secrets starts to be revealed, Cardin still an ass (and will be important later in a way different from usual) and Jaune can hold his own against him. It would make little sense Jaune to be completely useless in his normal form, and there is a reason he is always strong. We'll expand on that later. Also…**

 **SEGATA SANSHIROU!**


	5. Hidden Riders

Blake and Weiss ran out of the alley just for the deer-like Grimm to appear, breaking the sides of the building as it uttered a scream in the night. The two girls saw as it trashed a few cars parked in the streets and turned to them and gave chase, forcing them to run again. The Nevermore screeched up in the air and tossed sharp, lance-like feathers at them, but they were able to dodge as they approached one of the city's park, trying to get the Grimm out of the streets and hoping the trees in the night would give them enough cover to counter.

As they jumped on the streets, they were indeed able to get away of the monsters, but could hear the deer-monster sniffing the air and hear the Nevermore flying over their heads. The two girls hid behind some bushes and checked their weapons.

"How long before others find us?" Blake asked in a whisper and Weiss shook her head.

"No idea. I did sent messages to everyone, so not long, hopefully. Blake… are those things really the guys we were chasing? How it is even possible for them to turn into Grimm!" Weiss asked fearfully, but Blake had no answers to give. She did know of some wives' tales about bad children turning into Grimm, but that was ridiculous.

"They did change yes… It doesn't change we need to kill the Grimm before they kill us." She said, almost surprised on how cold-blooded it sounded, but Weiss sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Alright. I'll attack the one on land directly. We'll deal with the Nevermore later, hopefully with our friends." The heiress affirmed as she readied her rapier. Blake nodded and checked her weapon on last time. "Be careful."

"Same to you." Blake said and Weiss jumped out of the bush, using her Dust to launch fireballs at the creature while her partner climbed at the trees.

The deer-Grimm turned and charged at the heiress, but was diverted as Blake swung by and hit its side with her sword, then swung back and fired Dust rounds at it. Weiss used her Dust and glyphs to freeze its front legs in place. Blake jumped to the heiress side and both started firing against it, believing it had it cornered, until the creature breathed fire against then, forcing the ninja girl to grab Weiss and jump out of the way.

"It breaths fire?! Why it breaths fire?!" She complained as said fire started burning nearby trees.

"I don't know! But we need to…" Weiss started when they heard a screech and saw the Nevermore hurling feathers into them, given them no time to dodge. They were saved as a flying shield flew through the feathers, cutting them in half and making them lose speed to fall harmless on the ground. A series of shots made the Nevermore move away.

"Are you hurt?" Came Pyrrha's voice as her shield flew back to her hand and she helped the girls up. Ruby joined then a feel seconds after.

"What is that?!" The small girl asked as she reload her weapon.

"No time to explain! We need to kill it before it hurts civilians!" Weiss prompted, not wanting to tell the younger girl the creature was a Faunus, not in the middle of the battle. "And that other one too!"

They heard the deer-Grimm break the ice that was holding its back and scream at them, until a white and golden figure jumped on its back, making it jump like a bull in a rodeo while the person hold on its antlers. Then several explosions happened on its side before it ran away and Yang appeared from the bushes.

"Jaune and I will take care of Bambi! You four can take the Nevermore from the skies?" She asked as she cocked her gauntlets.

"No problem!" Ruby said proudly and Yang nodded before rushing after her partner. The others then turned to the small girl.

"Alright, what's the plan then?" Blake asked the small girl, that gave them a confused look. "You said 'no problem', so I assume you do have a plan."

"Oh…" Ruby said, and they all stared at her a little worried.

…

"So, that's the new Rider, uh? Might admit he looks fancy." A voice in the dark said, only a pair of bright, big, insect like red eyes on the shadows. "And I see she's still creating her monsters, so I might as well pay her pawns a visit. You better survive this battle, Kamen Rider ARC, for your veteran is waiting for the right time."

…

"Yang! I'm regretting this idea right now!" Jaune shouted as he tried to divert the creature from running on the streets. The Grimm jumped up and down, unable to get rid of the Rider on its back.

"Can't you do that punch and kick thing with it?!" Yang shouted back.

"Only if I want to be sent flying!"

"So you better hold for 'deer' life eh?!"

"Oh for heaven's sake! Please tell me that wasn't a pun!"

Yang smirked and decided she needed to help her partner somehow. Somehow it felt good for her ego to know he wasn't able to hand everything alone, as it would be a pretty boring partnership if all she did was watch him save the day. But now she need to keep that thing from running into an area where civilians could get hurt, so she rushed to the side of the monster and punched one of its many legs, firing a shotgun round at the same time, causing the leg to break and the creature to scream aloud, forcing her to cover her ears over the terrible sound.

Even hurt though, the creature didn't stop jumping, showing having eight legs worked well in those kinds of situations. Yang growled and punched another leg, making the creature jump and scream again, but this time it landed poorly and fell on its side, tossing Jaune from its head and he rolled to the other side.

"Jauney! For someone called a Kamen Rider, you certainly can't ride this one!" Yang teased the boy who got up and shook his head.

"Next time you ride the big scary monster and I crack the bad puns!" He shouted back, making her laugh aloud. The two were distracted and failed to notice the creature moved its head and aimed at Yang until it breathed fire against her. "Yang!"

The girl reacted quick enough and jumped back in time to avoid a direct hit, though she felt the heat passing on her back. She stopped and growled as she readied her fists and saw the creature getting up, its legs apparently healing themselves. And then she felt a smell she was familiar with, one she knew what meant and checked her hair. Some of it was burnt slightly.

"You monster!" She yelled as her body was enveloped in a flame like glow and her eyes turned red. She ran towards the creature, that lowered its head and rushed against the blonde Huntress, pointing its sharp antlers at her. Yang dodged the antlers and connected a might fist against the creature's mouth, sending it spinning against the trees. Jaune stood by her side as her anger subdued and she returned to normal.

"Uh… what?" he murmured and Yang simple sighed and checked her hair again.

"I'll need a hairdresser." She affirmed as she ran her hands on her locks. Jaune was about to say something when the deer-Grimm rammed on him tossing him against the trees, then the creature breathed fire against him, covering the area in flames.

"JAUNE!" Yang yelled in despair as the creature turned towards her.

…

"This is not working!" Weiss shouted as they fired against the Nevermore flying in the sky.

"We don't have enough reach to damage it." Blake calmly stated, while Ruby tried to aim at the creature, but she had to agree even her sniper rifle wasn't enough to shoot it down. The Nevermore was the size of a bullhead and its feathers were working as an armor. Then she looked around and had an idea.

"Then we get to the higher ground." She affirmed as she pointed to a nearby building. They started running that way as the creature dived to attempt an attack, but they were able to dodge it.

"Ruby, we'll need to kill that thing fast if we're taking it to a place someone can get hurt, not counting the property damage!" Weiss warned.

"Got it! Once we are on top, we will try to create a circle to keep it contained in a smaller area!"

The four girls soon reached the building's side and used different methods to climb its side, with Ruby using her gun to impulse her upwards, Weiss using her glyphs, Blake skillfully jumping the fire stairs and Pyrrha following her. Once on top of the building, Weiss and Blake jumped to the roof of a neighboring building. The Nevermore cawed and dived, while the girls fired against it, finally hurting it and forcing it to fly up again.

"Damn it… we almost had it!" Ruby spoke as she reloaded her weapon.

"The Dust bullets lack penetrative power!" Blake shouted from the other building. "He need more firepower or a direct approach!"

"POWAH!" Came a rather cheerful shout and they saw a grenade flying in the sky, leaving a pink trail behind and hitting the Nevermore, making it lose altitude for a moment before flapping its wings. They saw Nora and Ren in another building, the ginger girl waving her arms, grenade launcher in one hand and yelling. "You shouldn't have a party without us!"

"We have backup, but we still need to take that thing down." Pyrrha said and Ruby put some thought on it when an idea came to her mind.

…

"I'll kill you!" Yang shouted as she rushed against the Grimm, jumped and punched it in the middle of its forehead, then she spun over it as the creature staggered and she landed behind it, turning and firing several rounds on its hind legs, emptying her guns on it. The creature made a sudden spin and tossed Yang with its antlers. She stood up and readied herself again, grinding her teeth and seething with rage.

"This ends now!" The shout made her turn her eyes slight as she saw Jaune running out of the flames and pressing a button on his belt. " **Command** " "Rider Kick!" " **Rider Kick READY**!"

He jumped in the air and readied his special attack, while the deer-Grimm breathed fire against him, but the Rider crossed the flames and hit the kick in the creature's head, making it cave in inside the body. The deer-Grimm then fell in the ground and burst in golden flames.

"Jaune!" Yang shouted and ran towards him, ready to put him into a hug, but he gave a step back and waved her to stop.

"Wait, wait! I'm too hot for you!" He affirmed, and she stopped in her tracks and gave him a dangerous stare.

"What? What are you saying, mister hotshot?! That you are…" She moved forwards and poked his chest, then felt the tip of her finger burn. "YOUCH!"

"That while my armor protects me against extreme temperatures, the external surface still gets hot or cold… Sorry, are you hurt?" He asked and she shook her head and sucked on her finger for a moment, making Jaune stir a little and she noticed, smiling.

"Not really, my Aura will heal my finger, though I'll need a hairdresser." She spoke and he chuckled, then they heard the Nevermore. "Let's go help the others!"

…

"This idea is insane!" Weiss said as the others kept firing to give the nevermore away.

"I'm open to better ideas, but it better be ready to go." Ruby affirmed, and Weiss just sighed as none came to her immediately. "Then we do this. Is everyone ready?"

"YESSSHHHH!" Nora said and crackled and evil laugh as she readied her grenade launcher, while Ren readied his pistols.

"Alright, Operation Birdie begins!" Ruby said to Weiss dismay.

Nora fired first, the explosion forcing the Nevermore downwards, while Ren and Blake shots forced the Nevermore to the position they wanted. Pyrrha was at the edge of the building with her shield in the ready, and her partner rushed and jumped on it, and the champion launched the girl high in the air. Weiss then created a glyph that ruby used as a wall to fire Crescent Rose against it, gaining horizontal movement. The heiress created glyphs as needed, until the reaper reached the avian Grimm.

Ruby positioned the blade and fired another shot, ripping the left wing of the monster off and sending it spiraling out of control towards the buildings. Pyrrha shot her spear in the monster's skull, and Nora was launched by Blake, using the ribbon on her gun, against it, hitting the back of the spear through the creature's head, killing it. The creature turned into has before hitting the building, and they cheered.

"It worked!" Ruby jumped happily, until someone hugged her from behind. She turned her head to see it was Yang.

"I'm so happy you're alright!" Yang said as she petted her, and Ruby tried to escape the hug.

"I'm fine! I'm a Huntress in training like you!" Ruby defended herself as the others approached, Nora immediately jumped around Jaune.

"Oh. My. Gosh! It's really so cool!" She said as she admired his Rider form. "Can I try it? Does it come in pink? Oh, it's even warm!" She affirmed as she touched him.

"Nora." Ren warned gently.

"I'm glad everyone is fine. I assume you also took care of those Grimm." Jaune said as he pressed a button on his belt and removed his armor. " **End Ride**."

"Awww…" Nora lamented.

"What exactly happened? Where did you find giant Grimms like that?" Yang asked.

"That's what I want to know too." They turned as Glynda Goodwitch approached them.

…

"The new batch transformed the subjects faster and in deadlier Grimm, but they were irrational." Emerald informed her mistress as she showed the last test on her scroll. "What we'll tell Adam?"

"That his men failed on their mission and were killed by Beacon's Hunters, which is the truth." Cinder affirmed coldly. "He doesn't need to know our little 'drug' was used, after all."

"Won't rumors start spreading since some students saw the transformation?" Emerald questioned.

"No, because Ozpin knows. He probably knew for a long time, but is keen to keep this information hid from others, to avoid panic. Also, imagine how people would react if suddenly they discover the monsters were humans all along? No, they will keep it a secret. Anyway, we're closer to perfect the formula." Cinder affirmed and then they heard the door opening and Mercury entered, eating an apple and sitting in a chair, resting his feet in a table. "I'm assuming you finished your job?"

"The good doctor won't snitch us, and I made sure the others would get the message." He affirmed. "Though this is getting boring. They pose no challenge at all."

"Your job is to deal with traitors, not enjoy it." Emerald affirmed to the boy.

"And your job is to report to the boss, not tell me what to do. Though I could use your company in my bed." The mint-haired girl growled at him, until Cinder raised a hand.

"You both have your job, and you both do it well. Now…" She started, until her scroll beeped.

She took it and saw a message from an unidentified number, with a file attached. She found it suspicious, yet she decided to see what was inside the file. It was a single picture, and a smirk graced her features.

…

"Ruby…" Pyrrha said as she put a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder. When Weiss and Blake told Glynda what they saw, everyone was a little shocked, but ruby was the one taking it the hardest. After all, killing inhuman, mindless monster was easy.

"They were terrorists… So, it's not like they were innocent people to begin with." Weiss tried to offer her support. Ruby still didn't look up.

"How about all the other Grimm we killed… were they people too?" Ruby wondered.

"Ruby, it doesn't matter." They all turned in surprise as Jaune was the one that spoke those words. They were sat in a small room, waiting for Ozpin to talk with them. Jaune was staring at the ceiling, with a neutral expression.

"But… we just killed two people…"

"Rubes… I don't know how they turned into Grimm, but by what Blake and Weiss told us, they did that to themselves. And even if they haven't… I want to believe they were suffering and we ended it…" He said, part to sooth her pain, part to do that to his own.

"He has a point." Ren chimed in. "Grimm always attack people, as if they are mindless, and if we tried to capture them, we'd put others in danger. It's a hard choice, but I believe even if we knew beforehand, we took the right course of action."

"Indeed, you had, and I praise you for it." Ozpin said as he entered the room, and he and Glynda gave them some food and drinks, though no one moved to reach for it. "I'm glad that you all reacted quick, for only property damage was registered. Now, Glynda told me about what you saw, but I do have a question. How are you all feeling?"

"Tired." Blake said simply. She had other questions running through her mind now, though.

"Bummed… a little, at least." Yang added as she gave a long sigh. "Was there really nothing we could do to help the guys?"

"No. Grimm only last a day in captivity, dissolving after that, refusing to feed in anything we can offer that is not a person." Ozpin affirmed. "I know how you feel about this situation, and I honestly would prefer if there was another solution. But as future Hunters, your job is protecting people against the Grimm. Considering what we currently know, killing the Grimm still is the best solution for everyone involved."

"We will look at the situation and research a way to save people that we know were turned into Grimm, but till then, I advise to proceed as usual, and to keep silence about this situation." Glynda told them, making a few of them shift on their seats.

"You mean allow the other cadets to kill while unaware the Grimm are people?" Ruby protested weakly.

"We don't know if all Grimm are people, Ms. Rose. Besides, hesitation in this field of work will get oneself killed. We would put the other cadets in danger if revealing this information, while not helping any possible victim. I'd understand if any of you have a desire to leave Beacon, but you have skills that can keep others safe." Glynda advised, a motherly tone carrying on her voice.

"I suppose." Weiss said as she finally reached for a glass of juice and drink a little. "We can keep an eye for that black substance now, at least."

"That would be useful. It's too much to digest right away, so I'm giving you all an extra day off so you all can unwind. If you need to talk, I'll have my office open for you." Glynda advised and they nodded.

"Try to eat something. Goodnight." Ozpin finished and left with Glynda. Slowly each teenager took some food and drinks, except Ruby, who still stared at her own feet.

"Come on, here, they brought cookies." Yang tried to give her sister some support, but she didn't take the treat, making the blonde girl sigh in defeat.

"Bad people hurts others too, you know…" They turned to Nora, surprised the girl was the one saying such thing. "If they were threatening Ren, I'd have broken their legses all the same."

"Ruby." Jaune's voice sounded determined and serious, and she stare at him, to see him pushing his hoodie up, and for a moment the present were a little shocked, until they saw the huge scars on his abdomen, rugged and discolored, clear the sign of an attack by a wild beast.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Ruby stared at the scars, not sure what to think of it.

"I was twelve." He started to explain as he put his hoodie down again. "A Grimm attacked my school, killed a teacher. I tried to protect my sisters and the other students and the thing attacked me with its claws. It cut deep, tossed me on a wall, I broke a lot of bones. My mom came just in time, killed the thing and got me to a hospital. I spent a few months there, recovering. I almost died there."

"Your mom was a Huntress?" Ruby asked.

"One of the best. But what I wanted to tell you is… if she hesitated back there, I might've died, maybe my sisters and others would've got hurt. But because she didn't, because she knew killing that Grimm was the safer thing to do, I lived, no one else got hurt. It was a Grimm, but I'm sure she'd do the same if it was a crazy person with a gun. And as the commander said, there was nothing else we could've done there. You saved lives tonight, so be proud of this, of the lives you saved." He affirmed, and Ruby jumped and gave him a tight, if brief hug, before sitting back and eating a cookie. Yang smiled and mouthed a thank you to the boy, he chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

…

"What a mess…" Qrow said as he sipped from his flask, seeing the mauled body of the scientist on the ground of the garage of the university he taught. The legs and arms were bent in unnatural ways, the face was severely swollen and his clothes were covered in some type of black tar.

"They took his valuables, but the severity of the beating and the tar tells me this was sending a message." The tan-skinned, long-haired detective woman said to the man.

"It seems so, but the question is who sent it and who received it." Qrow wondered as he crouched near the body and took a closer look.

"I'm not sure, but the body have no marks of weapons, he was beaten either with some blunt weapon or with bare fists." The detective said as she took a scroll from her pocket. "Dr. Elijah Green, biochemist, specialized in studying metabolism. By all we can tell, nothing shad was happening around him. Of course,…"

"Nothing is as it seems. Yeah." Qrow answered as he stood up and sipped on his flask again. "Keep me updated, Renée."

"Not going to share with me? I know the chief told me to collaborate with you, but this wasn't a Grimm attack. If there's a crazy killer I want to know." The detective demanded.

"There's always a crazy killer, you know that. Sadly, I was told to keep my mouth shut."

"I bet people tell you that all the time." She joked, and he chuckled.

"True. I'd love to take you to a bar and tell, but I can't, and your girlfriend would beat me dead." He finished and walked away, deep in thought.

…

Ruby woke up the next day feeling a little relieved. A good night of sleep and her friends support did great to relieve her of the guilty feeling she had, so she stretched and got a shower, putting some casual clothes and deciding she'd take the day to relax. After waking up Pyrrha, who was surprisingly bad at mornings, she sent a few messages to see if their friends would want to hangout, to compensate the events of the night before.

Pyrrha was ready soon enough, and the answers came quickly enough. Ruby smiled as everyone said they would go, though Yang said she and Jaune would take a little longer due to some personal issue. She found it odd, and decided to go check on her sister before going to breakfast.

"Good morning." Weiss greeted the redheads as she also opened her door. "How are you, Ruby?"

"I'm fine now, thanks. I'm just going to check Yang." Ruby said as she approached the door for Jaune and her sister's room. She was about to knock when…

"Hmm… you were right… you're good at it…" Came Yang's voice, almost moaning.

"What the…" Weiss said in a shock and approaching the door. Pyrrha felt bad about it and was about to say something when another moan came, and she flushed red and stood in place.

"Your hands are magical…"

"You're exaggerating. And can you not be so loud. Your sister lives in the next door!" Jaune's voice came.

"I'm sure she'd love your hands too, Jauney. I'm not possessive, I'd share you." Ruby's face turned as red as her cloak, and Weiss was staring at the door with mouth agape and seething with indignation. Blake, Ren and Nora approached and stared at the red-faced trio.

"Oh, what are we spying on?" Nora asked as she glued her ear at the door.

"We… should go eat breakfast…" Pyrrha said as she tried to avoid listening. Blake on the other hand approached the door and smirked.

"Ahhh… Yes… do it a little harder…" They heard Yang moan and that was more than Weiss could take, so she forced the door open and entered the room.

"You two are doing sex!" She yelled, but the scene she found was Yang sat in a chair, with Jaune behind her, washing her hair. They both stared at everyone then at each other.

"Weird… That's not how sex ed back at school told me sex worked." Jaune joked, and Yang grinned.

"If you want, I can show you things sex ed class don't." She said and Weiss growled and stomped away, while the two blondes laughed. "For your information, Jaune just trimmed the burnt hair and was washing it. And he gives the best massages ever."

"Oh." Ruby let out. "Good! Daddy would kill you two if it was the other thing."

"Jauney and I aren't like that. You can go ahead, we'll meet with you later." Yang said and the others left. "Can you believe them?"

"I told you were being loud." Jaune said as he started finishing fixing her hair.

"Imagine if we were really doing the do uh?" She teased, and he groaned.

…

Coco walked the halls of Beacon, memories of her time as a cadet putting a smile on her face, as many memories of all the misadventures she had graced her mind. Her partner strode by her side, a little worried because she had no idea what the other brunette wanted to do at Beacon, and the short-haired girl was very elusive for her reasons. Usually, it meant getting in trouble, as Velvet had not so happy memories of punishments with Goodwitch.

"Come on, Coco, tell me why are we here!" Velvet demanded.

"Because we have a free day and I want to take the blondie to the mall. He needs some new clothes." The girl explained as if it was something usual to do.

"You mean the cadet you got as partner? The Kamen Rider guy?" The bunny Faunus asked and Coco smirked. "He really made an impression on you. Usually you don't give guys a second date."

"Well, this is technically the first date. Besides, he's cute and I want to know more about him."

"Just try to not toss him in a trash can like you did with your last date." Velvet pleaded.

"That will depend on…" Coco started to say a little distracted, when she stumbled on someone and almost made her fall in the ground, but the person hold her by her waist, avoiding it. She stared over her glasses to see it was just who she was seeking for. "Well, hello there, Jay."

"Coco?" He said in surprise. The brunette smiled and put her arms around his neck, making him blush.

"How bold of you." She teased, and he then pushed her away gently, making her laugh. "I was searching for you, because today is the day we reform your wardrobe. No more cereal bunny hoodies for you, mister!"

"But I like my hoodie!" He defended, then he felt someone slap his back and saw Yang.

"It's cute, partner, but you do need some clothes if you want to be seen with me." She said before pulling him into a headlock, challenging Coco with a stare. The brunette returned it, and there were sparks flying between then, making Velvet cower in fear.

"Velvet!" Ruby said as she approached them, a big smile on her face as she took the older girl's hands on her own. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Actually, Coco and I have the day free." The girl explained to the redhead.

"You two should come with us then! We're spending the day in the city!" Ruby said in cheerful excitement, spreading it to the others.

"Sure thing, Red. After all, this guy here needs someone with a fashion sense." Coco affirmed as she grabbed one of Jaune's arms. Yang grabbed the other.

"Agreed." The blonde said as the two women basically dragged the boy with them, followed by the others.

As they walked outside, a figure in the shadows observed them.

"You won't be enjoying this peace much longer, Kamen Rider ARC."

…

 **A.N.: Ah yes, I love Coco**.


	6. Rider in a Web

If there was one thing Roman hated more than be bossed around, is being bossed around by underlings of the current boss telling him to sidetrack while doing his previous orders. Now there stood the eye candy dumb guy and the lap dog with green hair telling him that the all might Cinder had a 'request' to do. If it was up to him he would order both to shove it, if possible inside their boss, but that would probably please them all. So, he just took a long smoke and let out some rings of smoke out.

"You know… I'm busy. Doesn't she have anyone else to go pest those Beacon kids? I'm already a wanted man, I don't want to have Hunters in my tail while stealing dust for Cinder." He complained, while Mercury looked completely absent and Emerald rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to do it in person. You can hire someone from Junior's again…" Emerald started and the thief laughed.

"After what your little booster did to his previous men? He doesn't want to see me ever again, no matter how much money I have to offer."

"Will he be a problem? A liability?" Emerald questioned, but Roman waved her worries away.

"He knows better than rattle a client. Even if to save his own skin he will never tell anything that could anger his clients. Information brokers live or die by their ability to not compromise their sources." He affirmed. Besides, poor Junior was as terrified of Cinder as he was.

"Our target is going to town, and we want more detailed info on him." She affirmed as she gave him a device that looked like a big, old camera from decades ago.

"I have a scroll, you know?" He affirmed as he checked the device.

"This do more than just capture images. Force a situation where the target is forced to use its full power. No Grimm this time, though."

"Well, in that case, I might have someone for this job." Roman affirmed as the sounds of heels on the ground made heard, and a small girl with an umbrella in one hand and ice-cream in the other, appeared, giving a smirk.

* * *

"That was so cool!" Ruby said as Jaune parked his bike on the mall. They all ended up coming, with Jaune giving Ruby a ride, Yang with Pyrrha on the back in the brawler's bike, and soon Coco in her sports car arrived with Velvet, Nora and Ren. Weiss would arrive with Blake in a cab a little later, as the trio had a little bet between themselves.

"I won, vomit boy." Yang sang as she removed her helmet and fixed her hair with her hands.

"I was carrying your sister, I had to be extra careful." He justified as he put the helmets on the compartment under the seat. "I'm sure you made me carry her on purpose."

"She was your handicap as she is lighter than Pyrrha. No offense, P-money." Yang affirmed.

"None taken." The champion answered with a smile. She had to admit it had being a fun experience the joyride. She was just glad no police stopped her or that would be hard to explain to her fans and sponsors.

"Hey, I'll grow up!" Ruby pouted in protest. Coco laughed as she and the others joined them.

"It's that or Goldilocks there didn't want someone pressing her chest on her partner." The brunette teased, making Jaune and Pyrrha blush, while Ruby tilted her head in confusion and scratched her head.

"Why would that be a problem. His back is broad and nice." She asked, and Coco laughed aloud while Yang sighed in defeat. Sometimes Ruby behaved like she was ten, not fifteen, and that was proving to be a bless and a curse at the same time. She would have to talk with her sister later.

"I want to go back with Jaune-Jaune! His bike is cool!" Nora proposed, and soon they were chatting aloud until Weiss and Blake arrived. The duo was a little unamused with their friends, but a chance to relax was too good to pass.

As they entered the mall, the biggest in the city, there was already lots of people moving around, visiting the many stories available. Nora didn't waste time in dragging Ren to visit the food court and the pet store, while Blake took her leave to visit the many bookstores offered. Ruby decided to visit the gun stores, leaving Jaune to the others. He tried to escape, but Yang dragged his ass to the nearest clothes store. Coco, Pyrrha, Yang and Velvet followed.

* * *

Qrow hit the Grimm with his sword, cutting it in half. Satisfied with his job he put his weapon on his back and walked around the abandoned building, what once was a military compound in Atlas, now abandoned. He cursed the cold under his breath and took a sip from his flask, while he kept searching around. Sometimes he was sure Ozpin sent him to the most unsavory of places because of some wicked sense of humor, but he had a job to do.

Forcing an old door open he found himself inside a larger area, with two levels, with a large operation table in the middle. Around he found several old power tools and ruined medical equipment. He walked around, opening the drawers and closing them as he found nothing of interest, before walking through another door and moving through a long corridor. On the ground and walls marks of an old battle, and from time to time he saw some remains od discarded weapons. He found a combat knife stuck in a wall, and with a sigh he pulled it out, and to his surprise he heard a rumbling sound and the wall collapsed, revealing a hidden passage.

"Well, well, well… look at that. I bet there's a monster down there." He commented to no one, drawing his sword and putting his scroll on his lapel, turning the light on it on, and walked downstairs.

It didn't take long for him to arrive at the hidden room, where some primitive computers laid, covered in snow, and a skeleton dressed in the remains of a white coat laid on a chair. Qrow checked the mortal remains, noticing the signs he was stabbed, by the cuts on the ribs, but the cause of death was clear the cracked skull, as if someone put it below a press. He sighed and started checking its pockets, and he soon found, almost hidden in the clothes, an old notebook.

"Uh, why this is important…" Qrow asked himself and opened the notebook, a smirk forming on his face. "Ozzie was right, who could have guessed… XC1…"

* * *

"Here, put this one." Coco ordered as she gave him a grey jacket. Jaune sighed as it was the fourth store they were visiting and he already lost count of how many outfits he tried, in so many different combinations. He put the jacket over the blue shirt and looked at the mirror. It didn't look bad again, but none of the outfits the girl chose looked bad, yet they didn't let him buy any of them.

"You know, if you won't let me buy, I'll keep the hoodie." He complained.

"You WILL get back to Beacon with a cooler outfit, Jauney." Yang affirmed as she appraised the attire. "We are trying everything first to buy later, so you won't have to spend a lot of money right now. Besides, fashion changes a lot."

"Then why not letting me not follow it?" He complained and Yang and Coco laughed, making him groan.

"I like your hoodie, Jaune." Velvet offered as she held it on her arms.

"Of course, you do, Velvet." Coco said with a smirk. "Look, use the hoodie for a casual stay at home activity, but for going out, you need to be more fashionable… or do you not want to please the ladies' eyes?"

"And if you behave and do as we say, I might reward you with a trip to the lingerie store, where you'll have the honor of choosing something for me." Yang affirmed, expecting to see him stutter and blush, but he just gave a resignated sigh. She tilted her head and crossed her arms under her chest. "What with this reaction?"

"My sisters dragged me to shopping before, including lingerie. After all this time, you can say I'm used to it." He said as he removed the jacket and handed it back to Yang.

"Oh, you mentioned sisters before. Younger, older?" The blonde asked.

"Four older, three younger."

…

…

…

"Seven." Coco broke the stunned silence. "Seven sisters. You grew up with seven sisters…"

"Survived fits better, but I love them anyway." Jaune added.

"Your house must've been lively." Pyrrha said, a pang of envy on her heart. Growing a single child with all the demands of a competitive fighter made for a very lonely childhood.

"You can say that. Mom had both the patience of a saint and the ability of scaring the shit out of us at the same time. But I still miss them… all the time…" Jaune confessed, and the girls cooed him a little, and Yang even grabbed his head and pressed it on his chest.

"Awww… look at the cute little brother!"

"Gah! I'm a mid-child!" He protested.

"As a big sister myself, I declare you a little brother!" She affirmed before letting him go. "And now try this on!" She declared as she pushed another leather jacket on him.

* * *

It took Jaune all his mental power to don't just bang his head at the table in the food court and knock himself unconscious due to the marathon of trying different outfits. Now the girls were discussing the ones they liked the most, his opinion being completely ignored on the issue, and the only information they wanted was how much money he had available to spend. At least the suffering was going to end.

"Here." He opened his eyes to see a sub and a big bottle of soda in front of him, and saw Coco was the one that gave him food. "Don't even try to refuse it or pay me back. It's my treat to you for being a good sport. I might not even ask you to carry my bags."

"I'd carry then even if you don't ask." He said as he gave a sip on the sugary drink and started opening the sandwich wrapping. "Thank you, by the way. For the fashion advices, too. I feel bad you wasted your time with me though."

"Don't. I'm having fun. Besides, I wanted to know you a little better." She affirmed as she drunk a little of the coffee, while Jaune bit on his sandwich. The others joined soon after, and a displeased Weiss sat on the table.

"Did… something happened?" Velvet asked, and the heiress groaned a little.

"I met some undesirable people along the way." She complained as she took Ruby's soda and took a sip. "Eeeewww, this is pure sugar!"

"You don't know how to appreciate the fine things in life." Ruby retorted as she grabbed her soda back, while Yang tried to not tease them about 'indirect kisses'.

"I do know better than you, and I say this isn't one of the fine things. Anyway, I just wanted stupid boys would get a hint." Weiss added.

"I feel you. You show a little skin and they come to you like wolves." Yang said as she sipped her drink from a straw, hands on her chin.

"It's worse…"

"Hey… pretty ladies…" Weiss groaned as Cardin and his friends approached the table, spreading around them. "So, how about you drop the child, the loser and the animal and come with us for some real fun?"

"He can't be serious…" Weiss said through gritted teeth. Velvet cowered a little and shifted uncomfortable, while Jaune just rolled his eyes, used to that kind of idiocy.

"Hey! Who are you calling an animal?" Ruby got up and stood against the tall boy, making him laugh.

"Go eat your happy meal. I have no idea why Beacon admitted you at all, but don't bite more than you can eat, shrimp." He was about to flip her forehead until a hand grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making him shout and kneel, as Yang held his arm, her eyes shining head.

"Did you try to hit my little sister?" She asked, her voice vibrating in a dangerous tone, almost like she was a dragoness.

"Let me go you…" Cardin tried to say but Yang started bending his arm backwards. His friends tried to move to help, but Pyrrha and Coco stood between then, the brunette lowering her glasses and giving a menacing glare at them.

"You don't want to help the guy that dared to call my cute partner that. Unless you want a broken arm too." Coco affirmed and Jaune noticed the anger building between everyone and decided to interfere before things escalated and got out of control.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He said as he got up and touched Yang's arm, making her stare at him in surprise. "Yang, calm down and let him go."

"WHAT?!" She growled at him, and Cardin yelled as he felt her grasp tightening on his wrist.

"Calm down." He repeated slowly, and she stared at him harder. "I know how you feel, but you can't do this."

"I…!" She said in disbelieve, letting go of Cardin's arm as she turned her anger at the boy. "He tried to hurt my sister! He called Velvet that! How can you defend him?!"

"Defend him? Yang, that's…" Jaune tried to defend himself, and Cardin and his friends left while they could.

"And here I thought you was different." Coco chimed in, grabbing her purse and walking away, with Velvet going on pursuit soon after. Yang suddenly gave Jaune a jab on his shoulder and left, fuming, with Ruby in her tail. Jaune sighed heavily and sat back, smashing his head on the table, when he heard a thud and saw Blake with a bowl of noodles with tuna, though it was more likely a bucket of it.

"What? I'm hungry. What happened?" She asked as she started eating.

* * *

"Coco! Wait!" Velvet pleaded as she followed her friend around the mall. Coco didn't stop, so the bunny girl jumped in front of her, forcing her to stop.

"I thought he was different, you know? I really thought it… Yet when that guy said that horrible thing to you… to him damn it, he just didn't have the guts to stand up? In fact, he defended that jerk that called you an animal!" Coco's tone was raised, her voice almost cracking, and Velvet gently hold her shoulders.

"That's not what Jaune did. He protected his partner." Coco stared at her partner like she grew up a second head. "Coco, we were in the middle of the food court, the civilians were already looking wary at us, and even the mall security was ready to call backup. What do you think would've happened if you broke a fight there? Sure, you'd have kicked that jerk's ass, but not only that would cause property damage, we'd put the civilians at risk. That's why I myself didn't kicked that guy to kingdom come, and I have the disadvantage of being a Faunus."

"Our supervisor wouldn't be happy…" Coco admitted.

"We could've lost our licenses if we don't take care. We aren't cadets anymore that the worst that could happen is expulsion and an earful from Commander Goodwitch. If anything, he protected you from yourself." Velvet added with a smug smile, making coco groan.

"Ugh… I hate when you're right… how can I apologize to Jay now…"

* * *

Jaune sighed as he approached his motorcycle in the underground parking lot of the mall. Seeing as Yang and Coco were way too angry with him to listen for his reasons, he decided to go back to Beacon and let Weiss and Blake try to calm them down, as they promised after Weiss told her partner what happened. He just could hope they could calm down so he could apologize to both girls once they came back.

He saw his bike, hanging by Yang's, and sighed again. And here he was thinking they were getting along well enough, but apparently, a few days were yet not enough to make people friends. He walked to the bike and was about to unlock the seat compartment, hoping Ruby would get a ride back Beacon alone, when he felt tapping on his shoulder.

He turned to see a small girl, maybe smaller than Ruby, open umbrella over her shoulder, both hands on the grip, smiling at him. Her eyes were heterochromic, one chocolate and another pink, while he hair was half brown, half pink and had a bit of white. Jaune wondered if she was lost, but seeing her clothing and cleavage, he shook the idea that she was a child, and her face wasn't of someone lost, but rather playful.

"Can I help you, miss?" He asked and she smirked… then she kicked him on the kidney and sent him flying sideways. He groaned and tried to get up, only to get a kick to the face, forcing him to roll away from the girl and get into a battle stance. "What the hell, lady!?"

She roller her umbrella and sat on top of his bike, making a sign for him to come over. He growled and walked forward, trying to push her away from the bike, but she grabbed his arm and kicked under it, surprising him on her strength and flexibility. He pushed the arm away and she skillfully jumped over the bike and into the top of a car. Jaune started pursuing her and trying to hit, but the girl was too quick and good at dodging for it to be effective. He got tired and took a step back, and the girl made a displeased face.

"look, I don't know what this is about, but I don't want to fight to entertain you. It's clear you're the better warrior, so if that's about skill, you won." He affirmed, and she gave a small pout, then she drew a sword from her umbrella. "Alright… this is not about skill… Who are you?"

Her answer was to attack with the blade, forcing him to dodge and walk back, until a column blocked his path. He barely was able to avoid the blade, and used the change to get some distance between him and the girl.

"Alright, let's start this!" He said without patience as he put his rider belt. " **Command** " "HENSHIN!" " **Arc Ride Activated**!"

The girl smiled at this, apparently unfazed, and attacked again, forcing him to block the blade with his armor. He still wasn't as quick as her, but the armor was too resilient for the blade to damage, so he took the hits and used the change to counter, equalizing the battle to his favor, and forcing the girl to take a few steps back. She tried a few kicks, but once more he barely felt it, then he connected on single punch on her belly, and she was tossed back, eyeing in surprise at him.

"Sorry, but I grew up with seven sisters. I learned early that equal treatment includes fighting." He said and she smirked, and gave a silent laugh. Then she put her blade back in the umbrella and jumped to sit on a car's roof. Then from behind the car came a Beowulf Alpha, making Jaune ready a defensive stance. "Behind you!"

But the girl ignored the warning as the Grimm readied for an attack. Jaune cringed but even if the little girl was some psycho, he still had to protect her.

" **Command** " "Rider Punch!" " **Rider Punch Ready**!"

He jumped and punched the creature in the head… only for it break in pieces like it was made of glass. A confused Jaune looked at his feet and around, trying to discover what happened, but nothing his mind could wrap around. He then noticed the small girl laughing silently at him, like she just told the greatest of the jokes. He growled at her and moved to attempt to grab her leg she also shattered into pieces.

"What… What was that about?" He asked as he searched around for the little girl. Apparently, she used the chance to escape, and Jaune asked himself if that was her Semblance. _At least there was no real Grimm attack_.

"Jaune?!" He turned to see Yang rushing towards him, Ember Celica on the ready. "What happened? Grimm?"

"Uh? No… yes… not really? Some girl attacked me but ran away." He explained as he removed his armor. "I'm fine."

"Good, so I can do this." She said and he was expecting her to punch him, but she just gave him a nice, tight hug.

"Bwah?"

"I'm sorry… Ruby talked to me and made me realize you was trying to keep me out of trouble, yet I just lashed out my anger on you. I'm a bad partner." She lamented, hiding her face on his shoulder. He chuckled and gently combed her hair to sooth the girl.

"You're not a bad partner, Yang, and you were just being a big sister. Honestly, if it were my sisters those guys would never be found again." He answered and she laughed a little, feeling relieved. She took a step away and smiled.

"You know, you touched my hair. You either have a death wish or I trust you a lot…" She said playfully.

"Please be the second one. I saw you punching people before." He answered back and both shared a laugh, then he felt someone pulling him by the hood and tried to turn around.

"Come on, Jay. We need to buy you those clothes."

"C-Coco?" He said, but she didn't stop pulling him.

"I'll be nice and allow you to go with me to the lingerie store. I have a nice black one in my sights and want an opinion." She affirmed as they passed their group of friends, that were smiling at them while he gave some pleading looks.

* * *

"XC1?" Glynda asked as she saw the schematics on the holo-screen with Ozpin.

" _Yep. Atlesian project, a bit crude compared to the Arc boy if I may say, for what you told me and the pictures my nieces sent_." Qrow's voice came from the radio, crackling here and there. " _I found no connection between them yet aside the obvious. Weird, right? I'm not here for him and I found something clearly related to this Jaune_."

"Mr. Arc is the son of two prized Hunters, and his family line is one of heroes. None I know of is involved with such a thing." Ozpin mused as he checked the digitalized notebook.

" _Check his other family line them. People have two, you know, mommy and pops lines. Maybe his mom's family wasn't as admirable_." Qrow said and they could hear him drinking something.

"Please tell me you're not drinking." Glynda demanded with an angry tone.

" _A man needs to keep hydrated_."

"Not with alcohol." Glynda retorted. "I'll pay his family a visit. I studies with his mother here at Beacon, so I might be able to get some information."

" _Good. I don't want my nieces walking with people of questionable reputation_."

"Then you'd never see them again." Glynda snarled back, and even Ozpin chuckled a little.

" _Ouch. Anyway, I'll keep searching, this place was huge. If damn Atlesians had actually tried to preserve it instead of sweeping their dirty under the rug, maybe we'd not be in this situation. And Jimmy being awfully uncooperative on this issue_." The man complained.

"Scars from the war still ran deep with some. I do understand why he would not want people poking it. But if what we do know is true, we'll need all the information we can. Be careful and try to not get in trouble with authority." Ozpin told him.

" _Me? Getting in trouble? Pffft_." With that, he ended the call.

* * *

The portal opened into the top of the building, as a cloaked figure observed the streets downwards. The woman in red and black walked, her masked fully covering her face, and stood by the figure. They remained in silence as she saw a group of teenagers walking down there, and knew them. So carefree and happy, that she couldn't help but shake her head in sadness, as they didn't knew what was happening on the shadows.

"She wants to meet me. My successor got her attention." The cloaked figure stated, and they gave a derisive laugh. "Who would've thought a relic from the Great War would still leave a mark in this world."

"So, you want a new war." The woman said with no emotion on her voice.

"War brigs death, death brings change. Nothing changes in times of peace. If you want the world to change, you force a war. The black witch knows that, but there's no point in an easy won war." The cloaked figure retorted. "You agree with me, don't you? Or else you wouldn't be collaborating with me."

"I believe you have a misconception of my intentions." The woman said back as she walked away, drawing her sword and opening a new portal.

"Only the stronger survives the war. Is your blood strong enough?" He questioned.

"Doesn't matter." Was the answer back, and the woman disappeared. The cloaked man stared back on the streets, seeing people going on with their lives. Lives he was going to change forever.

* * *

Jaune was happy to finally reach his room and put his bags down. The day was tiresome, and his feet were a little sore. He bought the clothes Coco and Yang chose that fit his wallet, though he wasn't sure when he would have the chance to wear then. There was also the fact they both tried to parade lingerie in front of him, and only Ruby and Weiss intervention avoided a private Victoria's Secret show off. He wondered why both girls were so determined to show him their undergarments, and he had a _slight_ suspicion they might like him. Though he wished they wouldn't do those kinds of pranks on him.

"I'll take a bath, no peeking." Yang said as she tossed her boots away and stretched, putting her own bags on her desk. "Today was fun but tiring."

"It was. And Yang, I'm sorry I didn't stand with you, but…" She put a finger on his lips and smiled sweetly.

"I know. Don't apologize when you were on the right. Now, bath. And I'm serious on the no-peeking rule! A girl shouldn't show everything too soon." She said and he rolled his eyes, sitting on his bed and sending messages to his family. It was necessary to keep them up to date or they would freak out. He was distracted trading jabs with his older sister over the messenger app when he heard knocks on the door, and got up to answer. To his surprised it was Coco.

"Hey, Jay." She said with a smile and took her glasses off. He had to give it to her, she had beautiful eyes.

"Hey, Coco. I thought you already left." He questioned.

"I talked a little with some of the instructors. Besides, I still haven't apologized for earlier."

"Hey, no problem. I…" She suddenly grabbed his face and give him a quick peck on his lips, letting a little taste of cappuccino on them.

"Done. See you later." She winked and left, leaving a flabbergasted Jaune, who stood at the door, trying to process what happened.

"Jauney, close the door. There's a cold wind coming." He turned around to see that Yang left the bathroom… wrapped only in a towel.

 _ **Jaune_arc_ stopped working. Rebooting**_.

* * *

 **A.N.: As this world is a little different from the one from canon, the motivation and origins of certain characters will change accordingly. Also, damn, even if coco barely had lines in the original story, I love her, and also ,Yang. Decisions, decisions, decisions…**


	7. Trouble Riding

A few weeks have passed with nothing of note happening.

But now, things were going to change as Ruby opened her locker and grabbed her most prized possession and greatest creation, Crescent Rose. She unfolded it and checked every part of her weapon before putting a cartridge and loading it, then she hugged her weapon and started caressing it, with a smile on her face.

"I'm always scared when she does that." Jaune commented towards Pyrrha as he waited for his friends to get ready. He always carried his Rider Belt with him, so he had no need for the lockers most of the time.

"She's just proud of her work." Pyrrha said, then they heard maniacal crackling.

"Magnhild, the Leg Breaker!" Nora shouted as she held her weapon over her head.

"That one scares me a little." Pyrrha admitted.

"What's up with you redheads and weapons?" He asked her and she giggled, putting her weapons on her back. She loved Jaune's company as he was easy to talk, and even after he learned of her fame, it changed nothing between their interactions. When everyone was ready, they started walking to the arena, as that day was combat class.

"Armed combat class." Ruby chirped happily. "Best class ever! No talking, only fighting! And I can show off my baby!"

"Well, I admit this is the best class to show our skills." Weiss said as she gracefully walked with them. "Also, the best chance to hone them, but you shouldn't be so happy in fighting your fellow cadets."

"Move, loser!" Cardin pushed his way through Jaune, pushing him into Blake, and walked away laughing, with his friends behind.

"Though you can go harder on SOME of them." Blake added as she stared. Cardin and his friends had been tormenting the other cadets since day one, especially the Faunus ones.

"It's incredible how cocky he is considering he is not that good to begin with." Pyrrha commented as they entered the big arena and sat on their usual place.

"And I admire you for being so humble considering your track record. I admit I had a completely wrong vision of how you'd be in person." Yang said with a smile and Pyrrha smiled shyly back.

"Arrogance can be one's downfall." The champion stated and Yang nodded in agreement, then smirked.

"It doesn't mean I can't defeat you, P-money. I'll have my revenge." The blonde girl said and Pyrrha smiled as she appreciated people that gave their all in a fight, and she hoped that would last the year. She was undefeated in this class, and Yang and Nora proved to be hard to defeat as well, and their little group was between the best cadets in fighting.

"Attention class." Commander Goodwitch approached, wearing her uniform, as different from unarmed combat class she didn't engaged the students. Though they had to admit the uniform didn't made her any less attractive. "We'll proceed as usual. First spar will be between Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc."

"Finally, a chance to put you in your place, Jaune boy." Cardin said as he walked down with his mace. Jaune sighed and walked down, wearing his new combat outfit, a dark-grey jacket over white t-shirt, jeans and combat boots. He put his Rider Belt over and stood in the center, with Cardin grinning at him.

"Mr. Winchester, I won't tolerate using my class to 'get even' on others for any misdeed, real or perceived. You will fight following the rules and you better be aware that your actions outside the academy won't be overlooked either." She warned, but the tall boy just stood in place, making her narrow her eyes. "Do you understand me, Mr. Winchester?"

"Yes, Commander." He said and she turned to Jaune.

"Mr. Arc, I believe I won't have problems from you."

"No, ma'am." Jaune answered with a better expression on his face, and she nodded before giving them space. "Begin!"

" **Command" "** Henshin!" " **Arc Ride Activated!"**

Jaune had to dodge as his armor was being put on because Cardin didn't give him the courtesy of finishing his transformation as others did. He had to give to the bulkier boy, he wasn't that stupid, and he haven't broken any rules anyway. Cardin didn't waste time in going hard, swing his mace in wide movements, using all his brute force in an attempt to hit the Rider.

Of course, this opened his guard and Jaune used the opening to land a kick and send the boy a few steps back. It was a relatively weird thing as even if the class was the armed combat one, the blonde boy still fought with punches and kicks, as his Rider Belt was considered a weapon in a way. When Cardin tried a downswing at him, he was able to lock the mace with his arm and hit Cardin's face with his elbow.

"You little shit!" Winchester growled and activated the Dust inside the mace, the explosion forcing Jaune to disengage, but his armor protected him of any damage. It was one of the most annoying points of fighting him, since he had a huge reserve of Aura and the armor softened any blows against him. Even Pyrrha with all her skill took a lot of time to defeat him, and Cardin and Jaune trading blows wasn't benefiting the former the least.

"Against Jauney there, you need to hit hard and fast. You waste Aura swinging wildly like that." Yang commented, a proud smile on her face. She had spared with Jaune a few times in their free time, and always was a blast. And it was 5-2 on her favor.

"He could've finished that already if he used that special attacks of his." Ruby complained with a cute pout. "I don't know why he holds back."

"Maybe he wants to perfect his skill by using a handicap. After all, this class is not about winning or losing, but improving one self." Ren suggested.

"BREAK HIS LEGSES!" Nora yelled as Jaune swept Cardin's feet, making Ren groan a little.

Cardin rolled and got up quick enough, then hit the ground with his mace and triggered his Semblance, sending shockwaves towards Jaune, making him lose his balance. Taking the chance, the bulkier boy rushed and swung his mace sideways, hitting Jaune's ribs, but the Rider held the mace with his arm and punched Cardin with a left hook, making him stumble back dizzy.

"Enough!" Glynda declared, not wasting time in getting between the two. "Mr. Winchester's Aura is in the red, and the winner is Jaune Arc."

"You got him, partner!" Yang shouted happily from the stands, making Jaune chuckle and scratch the back of his helmet. Cardin's head stopped spinning and he growled, approaching the commander.

"Mr. Arc, good use of tactical thinking, taking some hits to be able to land others, but it's a dangerous tactic if your adversary can overpower your defenses." She said in her neutral tone, then she turned to Cardin. "Mr. Winchester, you again tried to overpower your opponent with pure, brute strength. You lost all your fights against more technical fighters, so I recommend you to use a little of strategy going forward."

"Oh, come on! This wasn't a fair fight!" Cardin accused, causing the commander to raise an eyebrow. "Who fights in armed class unarmed?"

There was a moment of silence. Then a few laughs from the stands, and then they burst out laughing when Jaune, still in Rider form, facepalmed. Seeing him doing that with his helmet on made the situation even more hilarious to the crowd.

"Silence!" Glynda ordered, and by now they knew better than challenge her, and the other cadets had to hold their mouths. "Mr. Winchester, did you just suggested that somehow an unarmed opponent have advantage against you while you have your weapon?" Realizing what he said, he just growled and shook his head. "Go back to your sit. Mr. Arc?"

"Y-yes?" Jaune was unaware what else she could have to say to him.

"I want a word after class. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. And other thing… this time, remember to get out of your armor." She said, and he chuckled as he turned the Belt off."

* * *

"You did well, Roman." Cinder gave the meaningless praise as she checked the device the thief returned to them, that recorded Neo's fight against Jaune. The small girl was sitting in a box, licking some ice-cream, apparently giving no attention to them. "This data will be useful if this Kamen Rider interfere on our plans."

"Kamen Rider? That's his name. Sounds stupid, as is this bug theme. Honestly, if you want to get rid of him, do it right away. I see no point in testing him." Roman complained as he savored his cigar, while Cinder gave a small chuckle.

"That would be a bad idea. He's too prominent right now to take direct action against him. Besides, he's a good way to test the new version of this." She said as she showed a vial with the same looking black goo from before.

"Do as you please. I have Dust to steal, a new shipment arriving from the SDC. Big one, I even got the mutts from the White Fang to help. Do you believe they are even making uniforms? It will be great to throw the cops of our tails and into theirs." The woman nodded in agreement.

"That's why I approached them. The good thing about extremists is their narrow vision, and once you convince them to fight for you, they will do so with little questioning. Anyway, I'll just take the data with me." She affirmed, and Mercury took the device with him.

"So, we won't use your new drug?" Roman questioned and Cinder shook her head.

"No, we'll take care of this. You just keep doing your job." She affirmed and left, and Roman finally let out a breath he was holding.

"I hate that woman. So, how about the guy you fought? Is he all that?" He asked to Neo, and the girl just made a 'so-so' gesture. "Good. One less problem for us."

* * *

"Why I don't use my special attacks?" Jaune repeated the question Glynda posed to him, and she nodded. They were sitting in the stands, but all students were gone.

"It's your best attack, and yet you hold back in combat class. While I do appreciate not using them as a crutch, I know some cadets are… unhappy with it. They feel like you're underestimating them." She explained and the boy let out a long 'oh' in understanding.

"Well, the truth is… I never used them in another person… I don't know what could happen if I do." He confessed, and she got a little understanding of his situation. "I mean, if I punch a Grimm with the Rider Punch, he burst in flames and die. I don't want to test in anyone what would happen with normal people, even with Aura."

"Ah, I see." She said, a little motherly tone in her voice now. "You should let others know, then, so to avoid people take it the wrong way."

"They'd just think I see them as weak, well, some of them. So… if the effect is all the same…" He mused, and Glynda agreed he had a point. He either could be seeing as cocky or condescending.

"Unfortunately, it's better we don't try to test it." She couldn't imagine the effect that would cause on Jaune's psych if he accidentally killed someone testing his abilities. "Another thing I wanted to ask is what is happening between Winchester and you, and don't try to lie to me."

"Ugh… he's a jerk, a big one, who keep bothering others. I think he's angry at me because I defeated him in the very first day. I'm just ignoring him."

"Alright, but don't hesitated in talking with me. I don't want an escalation till the point this turns unfixable. I'll try to have a talk with him later, for I'm aware of his actions, even if I haven't caught him yet. You can go now, Mr. Arc."

"Thank you, Cmdr. Goodwitch." He said as he walked away.

He walked out of the arena to find his friends out, and they all jumped on him and talked at the same time asking if he was alright, overwhelming him for a moment. He couldn't help but feel like he was back home with his sisters for a second, making him chuckle.

"Calm down, calm down." He said to them. "She just asked me why I don't Rider Punch everyone."

"We were actually asking that ourselves." Blake admitted, a little curious too.

"Well… you can say all resume as I don't want to figure what happens when I do that against someone that's not a Grimm. Especially in a friendly spar." His explanation apparently sufficed to them as they walked towards the gardens in the back to relax before next class. As they arrived, Yang suddenly put her hand on his jacket pocket and got his Rider Belt. "Hey!"

"I was just wondering… what would happen if I wore it... would I become bug girl?" Yang teased as she dodged Jaune's attempts of retrieving the device. "You know, you shouldn't rely on a weapon so easy to get stolen."

"Yeah, yeah, like none of you had weapons people couldn't steal too." He answered as he tried to grab it, but Yang tossed the Belt to her sister.

"They touch my bay, they lose the fingers." Ruby said as she stared at the belt, putting it above her head. "I really want to know how that whole armor fits inside this thing. I'd love to make my Crescent Rose as compact when…" A hand grabbed it from her.

"Look, guys, we got a new toy." Cardin said as he stared at the device, holding it above his head as Ruby tried to retrieve it, jumping and flailing her arms.

"Cardin, give it back." Jaune warned, but the boy moved away from the group.

"You know, I saw how you put it on. Let's see what's this about…" Cardin said as he held it over his own belt and pressed the button on top of it. "Henshin, right?"

"Don't do this!" Jaune warned, a little too late.

" **User not recognized. Defensive measures start now."**

"What the fUUUUUUUUU!" Golden electrical bursts came from the belt and shocked Cardin, that fell on his butt and dropped the device. Then the device opened on the sides, revealing two sets of propellers and flew back to Jaune's hand.

"I tried to warn you that my Belt had a security system." Jaune said as he pocketed the item back.

"You're planning on adding something like that on yours, aren't you?" Pyrrha asked Ruby, who was make the cutest evil face ever.

"Yessssshhhh." The petite girl answered back.

"You bastard!" Cardin said as he got up, moving towards Jaune and grabbing him by his jacket. "You set me a trap!"

"Yeah, because I just planned for Ruby to wave it around to make you grab it from her and try to use it." Jaune deadpanned, grabbing Cardin's arm and pushing him away. "Grow up, Cardin. The world doesn't revolve around you and honestly, the less I have to do with you, the better."

"Yeah? I'll teach you some respect!" Cardin affirmed as he was about to jump on Jaune.

"Good afternoon, cadets." They all stop to turn and see Ozpin standing there, cane on one hand, coffee mug on another. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Uuuhhh…" Was the general answer. He walked between then and stopped in front of Jaune.

"Are you enjoying your time at Beacon?" He asked, and with his back towards then, Cardin and his group left. Jaune stared towards his friends, that were as lost as him.

"Y-yeah?" Jaune answered and Ozpin smiled.

"Good, good. I hope you all remember that while you have your obligations, you also are young and need to have your fun. But be careful to not get hurt." He said and walked away. They all followed with their eyes until they couldn't see him anymore.

"That was… weird." Ruby concluded.

* * *

Weekend approached fast, and the gang decided to spend the day again in the city. It was a cloudy day, yet none of them wanted to be inside Beacon. This time though, they separated in groups to seek their own forms of entertainment. Ruby, Nora and consequently Ren wanted to go find some new food places, while Yang decided to drag Pyrrha to the 'fun part of town." The others decided to explore the city as none of them were from around the capital and that was how they found themselves near the port.

"Why near all port have this funky fish smell…" Weiss complained as she walked with the others.

"Maybe because fish come from the sea?" Jaune joked, and Weiss growled at him, while Blake took the time to smell the air and smile. Then they saw a commotion around a store and approached it, seen it surrounded by the police.

"What happened?" Jaune asked to no one in particular, but it was neither Blake or Weiss that answered him.

"Someone stole the Dust from that shop." A tanned girl with red eyes and green hair said to them. "They say it was some guys with Grimm masks."

"Grimm masks?" Jaune inquired, finding it an odd choice of attire for a robbery. Too inconspicuous.

"That's what they were talking about. They said the White Fang started wearing those recently." The girl added, causing reaction on both Blake and Weiss. The first got wide eyed for a moment before moving closer to the cops, while the other made a sour face. "Heard they are being involved in lots of robberies nowadays."

"Sorry if I'm being ignorant here, but what is this White Fang?" Jaune inquired.

"Terrorists." Weiss said, venom on her voice. "A bunch of degenerates that decided killing people would further their cause."

"Heard they started as a pro-equality Faunus group, during the Civil Rights Movement, but now…" The mint-haired girl added.

"They aren't the same White Fang." Blake came back, her face the most expressive Jaune ever saw. "But still, that store was Faunus owned, it makes no sense for them to steal of it."

"Maybe the owner wanted nothing to do with those murderers, maybe the robbery is pretense." Weiss suggested.

"It would make sense if it was a onetime thing, not a recurrent thing." Blake questioned, her partner just shrugged though.

"It's not our problem. We are Huntresses in training, and this is a police case. We better go and let them do their jobs." Weiss prompted, and the trio walked away, before the girl called them.

"Hey, you dropped your wallet." She said as she had a white leather wallet on her hand, and Jaune palped his pockets and accepted it back.

"Thanks, miss. I owe you one." He said as he put the wallet back on his pocket.

"Not a problem. You better put a chain on it though. Lots of thieves around." She said with a smile. "I'm Emerald, by the way."

"Oh, hum, Jaune." He said back, a little nervous.

"See you another time then, Jaune." She said with a wink and walked opposed to them, making Jaune blush a little as he walked with his friends. As the girl got out of view, she pulled her scroll out and sent a message.

 _Target is tagged._

* * *

"Why are you so invested in this?" Weiss asked her partner as they drank tea, and Blake had her eyes glued on her scroll, searching for all the recent White Fang activity.

"It just doesn't make sense. I agree that the White Fang of today is a bunch of terrorists, but they usually just resort to violence against anti-Faunus people, not robbery." Blake said as she kept checking the news.

"Again, why are you so invested in this? It's not your responsibility." Weiss added again, and Blake suddenly stop, and she sighed. Then she pulled the ribbon from her head and revealed her cat ears, making Weiss stare in disbelief. "You… You are a Faunus?!"

"Yes… You have no idea how easier life becomes when you can hide your Faunus features. No security guards following you in stores, no attendants treating you badly, no racists bullying you because you're different. Despite the Faunus Rights Movements, too many people don't see you as an equal." Blake explained, and Weiss used a few moments to get her thoughts in order.

"I… I see that, but… you hid if from me, your partner…" Weiss stated, feeling a bit hurt.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, biggest provider of Dust in the world, also known for their shady business partners and controversial labor practices involving the Faunus." Blake cited as if she had that phrase memorized. Weiss gave her a rather nasty look back. "I didn't know you, I didn't know how you'd react with a Faunus as a partner, though I admit you're a more pleasant person than my own prejudice predicted."

"I can't…" Weiss almost screeched, but then she took a deep breath. "I think it's not completely unfair, considering everything the SDC does… But I'm not responsible for that, I don't have power within the company, nor I agree with some of its practices. So, I have no problem with someone being a Faunus. I do have a problem with the White Fang though. You don't become very forgiving after the second attempt on your life just because of who you are."

"I know it now. I couldn't risk it before knowing you better." Blake affirmed, and Weiss had to concede that point.

"So, you're a Faunus. This doesn't explain why you're so invested on those robberies." The heiress added and Blake sighed.

"A few years ago, I… I had a boyfriend… He was… intense, and political invested in the well-being of Faunus, and so was I. We got to protests, manifestations, sit-downs, collected signatures, all the peaceful ways we knew to make things better to the Faunus. Then we met the White Fang runners, and I was terrified… Adam… he was enticed… I tried to dissuade him of that, but he was convinced that… the Fang way would work faster." Blake explained and Weiss nodded, a little relieved by the story.

"So, you two broke up." Weiss almost demanded to know.

"Yes! I couldn't tolerate the idea that violence was the answer, especially when they didn't care about collateral damage. Adam… take it badly. I had to move out to escape his stalking." Blake explained and Weiss nodded and felt relieved. "I should've told authorities about it, but my feelings for him stopped me. Now I'm fearing he's escalating things, and it would be my fault if someone get hurt."

"Don't! You don't have to shoulder the responsibility. It's not your fault your ex is a terrorist." The heiress affirmed. "And if you are really determined to find those ruffians, I may as well help my partner."

"Weiss… thank you." Blake said with a surprised and grateful smile.

"You know, you look way better without the bow." Came a voice and they both turned to Jaune, who was drinking some hot cocoa.

"Wait! Since when you were here!" Weiss questioned.

"I was always here!" He answered back.

* * *

Emerald looked with disgust to the meth-heads around some of the shadiest parts of Vale, but Cinder wanted the new batch tested as soon as possible. Of course, testing in the undesirables of Vale would not call much attention, as addicts and homeless people disappeared all the time, and the plan had worked till recently. The press was unaware, and the feel that were probably lacked solid proof. Sure, she needed to find someone in a better state than many of the crawling zombies she was seeing.

Memories of her unpleasant childhood crossed her mind, of her dead-beat father and absent mother. Of the neighbors and their fights, the guys trying to get her, everything she hated about her past, before Cinder saved her of the streets. She held little pity to those people that allowed drugs to ruin themselves. Soon she found a woman that one day probably was pretty, now with rags instead of clothes, hair disheveled and dirty, but apparently still healthy enough. Emerald approached her, and the wary woman stared at the newcomer.

"Want to try something? It'll give you the high of your life." Emerald said as she showed the vial with black liquid.

* * *

"You can't pet me." Blake hissed at Nora and Ruby. Both redheads looked a little disappointed on it, and pouted, but that didn't move the cat girl. The group reunited again to discuss the situation, though they got sidetracked rather easily.

"I still say it's not a good idea." Jaune affirmed as they sat in a table on the café, worried about the idea of themselves going after a terrorist group, and trying to keep the conversation on track. "I mean, it's not like the police is doing nothing."

"Police is only good when there's a pattern to be followed. When you break patterns, they get lost. Remember the guys we found the other day, the Grimm ones?" Blake asked and Jaune nodded. "Why they turned into Grimm? How? This is a Hunter's job, in a way."

"Then we tell Beacon. Tell Cmdr. Goodwitch." Pyrrha chimed in. "We are just cadets still."

"But they don't know what I know. Even if I was never a member of the White Fang, I know more about them than most." Blake justified.

"So why not share this knowledge with Beacon? Tell them what they need to know." Ren suggested, but Blake looked down.

"I don't think she can just go and say 'my ex is a terrorist and I might have tipped my toes on that well' to them. They might even detain her and expel her from Beacon 'just to be safe'." Yang tried to see things from Blake's perspective.

"I think we should help. We're here to eat pancakes and kick bad guys butt, and I'm all out of pancakes." Nora affirmed, putting some cheap sunglasses on. They all blinked once before giving the idea some thought.

"Fine, I'll help, but only until we find some information we can give Beacon and let them assume the case. I want you all to promise me you won't try to solve this by yourselves." Jaune pressed them, and almost all of them agreed, but Blake avoided his stare. "Blake, It's not your fault or responsibility. Promise me."

"Fine… once we got enough information to pass on without compromising me, I'll accept it." She said as she put her bow back on her head. "We can start tomorrow."

With that said, they decided to return to Beacon for the night and start investigations the Saturday morning.

* * *

General Ironwood of Atlas checked several files not only in his screen, but the old papers they brought to him and groaned. The fact he was checking files from 70 years bothered him immensely, but considering the information Ozpin shared with him, he had to. He just wished he had shared earlier and more, as he felt Ozpin knew more than he was saying he knew. And the general suspected someone was prodding around, but he had to agree the situation was a little urgent.

"General, I found another file." Winter Schnee said as she entered the room, carrying another funky smelling stacking of papers. She sat at the other side of the table and added the file to the pile. "General, what exactly do you hope to find?"

"Nothing, actually. It would be for the best we did found nothing on those papers, but Ozpin suspects of an old project of Atlas during the war might have relations with the Grimm and Vale." He affirmed, and Winter nodded in understanding, though the general knew her well enough to notice she was a little apprehensive due to her younger sister being there. He showed her a picture.

"What I'm looking at? Some kind of costumed vigilante?" She asked as she saw the image of Kamen Rider on the screen.

"One of Ozpin's students, Jaune Arc. Ozpin also believes he's related to what we're searching for. I think…" The general stopped speaking as he crossed his eyes in one of the files and opened it, his expression hardening for a moment. Winter tried her best to be professional and not peek, but her eyes drifted over the file. "Science and Human Overall Committee for Karyotype Evolution Research…"

"Karyotype?" Winter questioned.

"It's an old term some scientists in Atlas used for genetics research… though this committee later expanded in several other researches during the war that the original meaning was lost… I thought they were kind of a legend within the military."

"I'm unaware of such."

"You probably have heard about it before, a secret branch of the military that performed all kinds of experiments attempting to create a supersoldier." Understanding dawned into Winter, thought she knew of them by another name.

"Shocker."

* * *

Dr. Polendina smiled as he received a message on his terminal. An order from Ironwood to bring his newest creation to him. It was finally a chance to show a work of two lifetimes, and he hoped she would make a good impression.

"Penny, the general wants to meet you." He said, and from the table raised a small girl with an innocent smile.

"Understood, father."

* * *

The drunk salaryman walked lazily through the night, singing badly and laughing to nothing, sometimes bringing his beer can to his mouth to get another sip. He probably didn't know he was walking in a rather desert street, and maybe he didn't care. As he walked he saw a beautiful woman in revealing clothes, and she smiled at him, making a hand sign for him to follow. The man smiled back and finished the beer, before rushing towards the woman. She took him by his tie and pulled the man into the dark alley.

Screams of terror resonated on the night skies.

* * *

 **A.N.: Weiss and Blake are partners, and friendlier here than the canon at this point, and again, the White Fang isn't as much of a big deal here, so Weiss doesn't have the same level of hate and is less prone to generalize the Faunus in general, which helped them to solve the problem easier. Blake have a reason to want to do things on her own even not being a former Fang member, and I'll explain it on the story on a later chapter.**

 **I also promise you that all characters I'm using will be useful for the story in some way, since this will probably be a rather long one, but I won't drag plot points far too long, nor keeping secrets forever like the original show do. Honestly, four seasons and all they do is add characters and barely explain what exactly is happening. We don't even know the villains' main objective yet aside 'kill all people'. Starting next chapter, things will start to unwrap.**


	8. Mantis VS Rider

"Oh, a guy was found dead in an alley, without its head and slash marks on his body." Nora commented as they all sat at Beacon's library to do some research on the White Fang. Weiss gave a small groan in annoyance.

"Nora, stop reading those tabloids. We are searching for real clues; not whatever absurd those people publish and try to pass as news." The heiress affirmed, but Nora ignored her.

"According to this, the guy was found headless, and without pants. They are even saying he had sex just before his death, and are calling this 'the mantis killer'. Police is baffled as no clues were found at the scene." She concluded.

"Just because the press called the killer a mantis, doesn't means it was a Faunus, much less a member of the Fang." Blake calmly explained as she checked another article. "Besides, I don't think we'll find many useful clues on newspapers. I wish we had access to the police database."

"I don't think they'd appreciate us going through it, even if we were licensed Hunters." Pyrrha said as she checked another article. "But I made a list of recent Dust robberies, and all of them follow the same pattern. Masked robbers, Grimm masks, only Dust is taken, no money."

"What they do want with so much Dust? And why the masks now? It's bringing too much attention to them…" Blake asked herself. The White Fang wasn't one for big shows, especially since that would put the law after them way more easily. Whatever changed, she needed to now.

"I might know someone who sell information usually not available by normal means." Yang spoke and they all turned to her with inquiring looks. "I go around, alright. I can bring you to them tonight, so you better have some cash ready. Damn, we can even enjoy some drinking and dancing."

"Yang, if I discover this is just you taking me to a club…" Blake hissed a little.

"Of course not. If I just wanted to dance I'd drag my partner, though I'm sure he can't dance." The blonde girl affirmed back.

"I can dance." Jaune affirmed back, then he checked something on Nora's scroll. "'Giant Grasshopper seen in the city and I had a baby with him'. Weiss is right, Nora, you shouldn't read this trash."

"Or you're the father of her baby!" Nora jumped on the table and pointed an accusing finger at the blonde boy. "You're the only giant grasshopper we know!"

"Nora, I'm not a giant grasshopper, I just look like one, second, this is the same newspaper that said they found a cross between the chupacabra and big foot and in the end, it was just a pile of garbage." Jaune affirmed, but the girl just pointed to her eyes and back at him, making him sigh.

"Alright, so me and kit-kat here will go to the place I know we can get information off the books." Yang said, while Blake rolled her eyes. "What about the rest of you?"

"I can go to the SDC office and use my pass to get some info." Weiss offered. "Can you get me a ride, Jaune?"

"He can give you a Kamen Ride, eh? Eh? Anyone?" Yang answered but they all just groaned. She blew a raspberry at them.

"I'll give you a ride, Weiss." Jaune answered and she returned with a nod.

"Renny and I will go looking around, see if we stumble at something! Maybe we will even capture the giant grasshopper! Or get some pancakes, whatever happens first." Nora said and they all decided to let her and Ren do their own thing.

"Then me and Pyrrha…" Ruby started.

"Pyrrha and I." Weiss tried to correct.

"No, you're going with Jaune, I'm going with Pyrrha. Anyway, we'll visit some of the spots that were robbed and see if we can find any clue." The smaller redhead said, causing Pyrrha to giggle and Weiss to scoff. At least they had a plan for the night.

* * *

"How mad do you think she will be?" An atlesian soldier asked another as they stood at the open door in the atlesian embassy.

"If we can convince her the invaluable prototype that wasn't to get out of the building at any circumstance escaped by her own means and there was nothing we could do about it, maybe we'll just be sent to an isolated mountain base. Otherwise, she'll have our heads. You tell her." The other answered as they saw the trails of broken furniture that was left behind.

* * *

Weiss had to admit that riding a bike was a good feeling, but she regretted her choice of attire, as a skirt was clear a bad choice of attire for such, especially when she had to hold on the pilot to not fall down. They stopped in front of the SDC tower in Vale, and after a brief exchange of words she entered the modern building. The employees paid her no attention as she approached the elevator and took it to the upmost levels.

There, she saw the holographic attendants that were all the way back into Atlas. Her father trusted no locals with the higher management of the SDC branch, which didn't help the PR side of the company. But then again, he was not the most sensitive of individuals. She greeted the holographic receptionist, who gave a brief greeting back before allowing her to use one of the terminals. One of the advantages of being heiress of the company was her high-level access to information.

"Let's see… recent White Fang activity against the SDC… uh, they actually reduced direct actions nowadays…" She murmured to herself. "Yet increase in suspect cases of Dust robbery from third party resellers… All around Vale's capital… Increase in security for transportation… Big load coming tomorrow? Hmm… Nothing really that relevant. Asking Specialist Schnee…"

Her eyes widened. Her sister, Winter, was in Vale on a mission for Atlas military, and the company asked her to check security for a big shipment of Dust that would arrive by ship. She wondered why Winter didn't contact, and felt a little sad about that, but understood her mission was probably very low-profile and with tight schedule. With a sigh, Weiss uploaded all relevant information on her scroll, until a pang of curiosity hit her. It wouldn't hurt, after all.

"Kamen Rider… Uh, there's one entry… Very, very old entry… Secret military research… Shocker?" Weiss tried to follow the hyperlink, but only an old emblem of an eagle over a world map with lightning bolts surged. She hesitated at first, but downloaded the file, intent in asking Jaune if he knew about it.

She left the tower to meet with Jaune outside, and found him talking with a girl. She was young, maybe close to Ruby's age if a little taller, with red hair and a big bow, wearing a grey, black and green outfit with a small backpack. She scoffed at the scene, and she'd hurt the blonde boy if she discovered he was flirting instead of working.

"…and if you get the subway, red line north, you can get to the airport." Jaune explained to the girl, and Weiss calmed down a little. Apparent he was just giving some directions to a lost girl.

"I understand now! Thank you for your help." She said, but didn't move an inch, just stood there, smiling.

"Uh… anything more I can help you with?" The boy asked, a little confused.

"No… Or better yet, this is the first time I come to a city, and I was wondering what exciting things there's to be done!" The girl said in a chirpy way. It was like she had the innocence of Ruby combined with Nora's eccentricity. Weiss just hoped she didn't had Yang's sense of humor.

"Excuse me, but Jaune and I are busy." Weiss interrupted the two.

"Ah, I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't aware you two were on a date! I never had a date before, so I'm not aware of the etiquette involving such interactions." The girl affirmed, making Jaune blush and Weiss look at the girl with indignation.

"We're not a couple! We're just friends going on an outing!" She protested.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for my mistake. I was never in an outing with friends either." She affirmed, causing Jaune to pity the girl and Weiss to fear she was some weirdo.

"You… never got out to just hang out with your friends?" Jaune asked.

"My father was very protective of me and I rarely left our house. But I'm so happy to finally walk around, the city is so lively and there's so many different people!" She said as if the situation didn't affect her the least.

"Hey, Jaune! Weiss!" They were interrupted with Pyrrha and Ruby approaching, and the small girl greeted them. "Do you have any idea how uncooperative people is? You make a few questions and they threaten to call the police on you, even when you're trying to help! Who's your friend?"

"Friend?" The girl said as if savoring the word for a moment. "Am I really your friend?" She asked, her eyes full of hope directed at Jaune. He stared at his friends, and while Weiss shook her head frantically, Ruby and Pyrrha just shrugged at him.

"Eh, mom always said strangers are friends you haven't met. So, sure, why not? I'm Jaune." He said as he offered his hand, and she took it with both her hands and shook them energetically.

"I'm Penny! My very first friend! I'm so happy! Though I'm unaware how girl friends interact with boy friends…" She said with a tilted head and still shaking his hand.

"She… didn't meant what I think she didn't meant, right?" Ruby asked Pyrrha.

"I don't think she used the words with that meaning, no." The champion answered back, not helping but finding all that entertaining.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" A terrified scream resonated on the night and they rushed to see what was happening.

* * *

"You know, blondie, lest time I told you to not come back here ever again." Junior, a bear for a man said as the whole security of his club pointed weapons towards Yang and Blake. Blake was calm, but made mental notes to strangle the other girl later, while Yang kept the confident smirk.

"Come on, Junior. I just defended myself of a touchy guy." She said in an almost teasing tone.

"You threw him at the bar, breaking some expensive bottles along the way, and when we asked you to leave, you fought my security guards." He said as he pointed to the twins behind him, one wearing red with short hair and another with long hair but white dress. Blake couldn't help but think of Ruby and Weiss. "Which reminds me you owe me a thousand lien. If you want me to not toss you and your friend out, you better pay."

"Sheesh, Junior, threatening two Huntresses in training. That can't be good for the business." Yang said as she waved her Beacon ID to him. "You know how we are, right?"

"What do you want?" He growled at her, and Yang pushed Blake up front.

"She wants info on the recent activities of the White Fang." Yang explained, and Blake hissed at her for being put in the spotlight.

"White Fang? Why you want to know about them?" Junior asked and Blake sighed.

"Personal business. I want to know if they are involved in all those Dust robberies and why." Blake explained, and Junior crossed his arms, giving some thought over the sentence.

"It will cost you." He affirmed, and Blake gave him some lien cards. He checked them and laughed a little. "Not much on you, I see, especially when your friend owes me. Let's make a deal then, answer a question of mine and I'll answer yours. Deal?"

"It will depend on what questions you have." Blake answered back, while Yang tried to make Junior's thugs lower their weapons.

"Smart. Well, I heard someone at Beacon have being going with the moniker of Kamen Rider, so I'm curious as who it might be." He said, surprising the girls.

"Why you want to know about Jaune?" Yang blurted out before slapping her own mouth and cursing under her breath, while Junior smiled. It was enough for him to go on.

"Answering your questions. The Fang was recruited by another group, outsiders, but with resources. Heard they promised the Faunus power for their revolution, in exchange of their services. They are working under Roman Torchwick guidance. I don't know who those people are, but they spell trouble. Hired some of my own men, none have come back, disappeared."

"I didn't expect you to tell us so much, Junior. Where's the catch?" Yang asked and Junior rolled his eyes.

"I don't like when people mess with my men. Besides, it's a win-win situation for me. Either you bite more than you can, blondie, and leave me alone, or Roman does, and it'll be payback for my missing men. He's planning a big heist in the docks tomorrow, SDC Dust. That's all I'll tell you. Get out of my club." He said as the thugs raised their arms again.

"Fine, fine. Sheesh." Yang said as Blake and she walked out and back to her bike.

"I wonder what kind of power this group have to sway the White Fang to work with a common criminal like Roman, a human nonetheless." Blake commented as they prepared to ride again. "They're usually so proud to even consider this kind of thing…"

"I'm more worried about why Junior wanted to know about my Jaune. Junior don't make questions if no one is asking them to him." Yang said as she put her helmet, then her scroll started vibrating. "It's Weiss…"

* * *

Weiss put her scroll away after sending the message and stared down at the corpse in the alley, in disgust. Pyrrha covered Ruby's eyes, while Jaune did the same for Penny, as the corpse was missing the head, and had big slashes on the back like someone used a bladed weapon against him. But Weiss did notice that the neck wasn't cut, but instead like something chewed on it.

"What could've done this… Doesn't look like a simple attack." Pyrrha asked, as Ruby tried to uncover her eyes.

"Whatever it was, the trail looks fresh." Jaune said as he pointed to the blood.

"I already sent a message to the authorities and our friends. What do we do?" Weiss questioned.

"We need to track whatever attacked this man." Ruby said as she got free from Pyrrha. "Remember that article that Nora read this morning? It's the same thing here. It might be a Grimm and it is our job to hunt it."

"Ruby have a point. But we better not engage it, just make sure it won't hurt others until backup arrives. We also work in pairs. Penny, you better go home, it's not safe around here." Jaune affirmed, and they left before the ginger girl could answer.

"I better call specialist Schnee." The girl said as she walked back to the street.

* * *

Jaune and Weiss walked through the dark alleys of Vale, their scrolls attached to their front pockets, its lantern illuminating the ground as they searched for leads that could take them to the mysterious attacker. The blood trail ended quite soon, and they split to cover more ground, but were unsuccessful until that point. Weiss wondered if they were being lucky or not in not finding anything.

"Any idea what could've done that?" Jaune finally spoke to break the mortifying silence.

"No, never heard of a Grimm that would kill the victim and just take the head. Usually they devour the whole body. Whatever it is, is smart enough to hit and run." She deducted as they took another turn, entering in an open space on the back of several buildings, where some dumpsters stood. As they searched around, they heard a voice.

"H-help…" The duo moved quickly and found a young woman with blood on her face and hands, cowering behind one of the dumpsters.

"Hey, are you alright? What happened?" Jaune asked as he checked the woman. Weiss scoffed a little as he was way too quickly to help the stranger, especially a beautiful one.

"I… I was walking back home when I saw that… that thing attacking a man… I ran away and hid… It sprayed blood all over me…" The woman affirmed as she took Jaune's hands and was helped up.

"Have you seen where this thing has gone?" Weiss questioned, and the woman shook her head.

"No… Please, don't leave me alone! What if it comes back?" The woman pleaded, holding on Jaune's clothes. The boy turned to Weiss, his eyes asking her what to do. She gave a sigh and grabbed her scroll.

"I'll call the police and the others. Do you live near here?" Weiss asked the woman.

"Yes, in that building." She said as she pointed to the larger and older building.

"I'll take her inside, Weiss. You wait for the others here. Call me if something comes over." Jaune said and she accepted, reading her sword.

Jaune took the woman inside the building, who had a rather ample lobby, but seemed rather deserted. The woman took him to an apartment in the second floor, and it was simple and had very few things inside. She got inside a room and took some clothes and entered the bathroom, as the boy avoided staring. He heard running water, then she called him.

"Sorry to abuse you, but the water is coming cold… Do you mind going to the basement and check the boiler? The stair is on the right from the door we come in. I'll be fine, just need to get the blood off."

"Oh, yeah sure. Don't leave here and only open the door if it's me or the police, miss."

Jaune walked downstairs, and soon found the stairs the woman mentioned, and moved to the damp and hot basement. He flicked a switch and a weak light filled the place, and he saw the Dust-powered boiler, but it was working just fine. Wondering what could be wrong, he turned to go back when his eyes caught something odd. At the wall, close to the boiler, was a mass of translucent spheres, glued together with a viscous substance. He approached it and saw there was something white-ish moving inside, some kind of bug larvae. He was about to call Weiss on his scroll when the glint of a blade caught his eye, and he dodge on the last second.

Turning around he saw the woman they rescued, but her hands were turned in a white blade, and her body was covered in the same black substance the eggs were. Her eyes were red and without pupils, and a pair of antennae grew on her forehead.

"What the…" Jaune shouted as the creature tried to attack him again, and he was barely able to dodge it.

"Your head will make good food for my babies." The woman said, her voice sounded weird, like another one overlapped with it. "Be a good boy and let me kill you."

"Not a chance!" Jaune retorted as he grabbed his Rider Belt from his pocket, but the Grimm-woman jumped on him, forcing him to dodge and unable to transform. She was quick and relentless, and only the relatively small space of the basement gave Jaune the chance to avoid her hand blades.

Finding himself in a tight spot, he grabbed a broken pipe and tried to sue it like a sword, but the creature cut it easily. Without thinking twice, Jaune tossed the broken pipe like a lance, but the monster dodged it. The pointy pipe hit the boiler, perforating it and tossing steam and hot water on the close by nest, causing the eggs to start popping.

"My babies!" The creature shrieked as it tried to protect them, and Jaune escaped. Running, he moved outside to see Weiss still waiting, using her scroll for something. He felt relieved to see she was alright, then he shivered as he heard a shriek from the building, that also got her attention.

"Jaune?! What was that?" The heiress asked as she turned to him, and he took a moment to catch his breath.

"I found what was killing those men." He said as he put the Belt on his waist.

"And what it was?" She asked as from the building came the woman, and she started transforming in a mantis-like Grimm, her head and body covering in white plates, her eyes growing to big proportions. "Please tell me she is your cousin…"

"Not blonde enough." Jaune answered as he pressed a button on his Belt. "Let's start this!" " **Command" "** HENSHIN!" " **Arc Ride Activated!** "

He transformed as the Mantis jumped high in the air, forcing him and Weiss to dodge. The white-haired girl countered with her blade, but the armor the Grimm had was too thick and hard for her attacks. Jaune engaged the creature, punching it while dodging the sharp blades, but even him was finding difficulty to break the armor. Weiss decided to take an indirect approach and used her Dust to send a fireball at the creature, that shrieked in pain.

"Good idea, Weiss!" Jaune praised her, and she gave a smile at him.

"Guys!" They turned to see Pyrrha and Ruby approaching, weapons in hand, to stop only when they saw the creature. Ruby stopped in her tracks when she saw the creature. "Is she a relative of yours, Jaune?"

"Ha, ha. She's our killer! We need to…" He was cut off when the Mantis spread transparent wings and flew, grabbing him and flying away. The girls cried his name, but he was too far for it to reach him.

The Mantis flew just above the building, and used her jaws to bid on his shoulder, causing the armor to spark and fume. He tried to hit her back, but his legs only swayed hers, and his arms were tightly held against his body by the creature. He decided to hit the least armored part of her body.

"You know, this flight sucks! No board service, no movie! I'm jumping off!" he bent his body and then headbutted the Mantis eyes, making it shriek in pain and drop him.

For his luck, he didn't fell for too long and landed rather harshly on the top of a building, yet he felt the impact and thanked for Aura and the modifications his body get through as he slowly got up, only for his chest being slashed by the Mantis Grimm, sparking and fuming again. The creature hit him twice before he blocked it and held on of her arms under his.

"You need to cut your nails!" He affirmed as he activated his Belt. " **Command"** "Rider Chop!" " **Rider Chop Ready!** "

The bottom edge of his open palm shone in golden light, and with it he chopped off on of the blades, making the creature scream in pain. Not giving her any quarters he attacked the other and cut it off too, making the creature move backwards and stare at the stubs in the end of her arms.

"You'll pay for this, Kamen Rider!" The Mantis said as she opened her wings and flew towards him.

"This ends now!" " **Command"** "Rider Kick! **" "Rider Kick READY!"**

He did a flying kick on the creature's direction, his glowing feet connecting to its head, and sending the mantis spiraling off the building. He ran to the edge and saw it falling down the streets, only to be engulfed by flames and turning into ash before hitting the ground. After it, he kneeled and took his time recovering his breath. That one had made a number at him.

* * *

"You did well, Kamen Rider Arc. The witch's pawns shouldn't be a challenge for us. They are just toys while we are true weapons. Train and get stronger, because your final opponent shall be me." The cloaked figure said from the top of another building, before dodging a strike that broke the pavement under his feet. He moved backwards to see a ginger girl with a hammer.

"Renny was right, there's a creep stalking Jaune-Jaune!" Nora declared as she readied to attack again. She jumped forward but the man jumped back and out of the way, before blocking a series of attacks from Ren and his bladed guns.

"Oh, the Hunter children were able to track me. I'm impressed, but not by much." He goaded them, and Ren fired his guns against him, who stood and received it shot. Nora fired a grenade at the enemy, and the explosion covered him with pink smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the two teenagers stared shocked at the man. He was wearing a rough padded armor, with metal plates covering the most vital areas, painted of a dark green that was blackened in certain spots, with dark yellow boots and gloves. There were visible rivets in certain parts, and he wore a helmet that remembered them of a grasshopper, like Jaune's, but this one had thicker antennae, a more menacing mouthpiece that reminded of jaws, and big red eyes with orange edges, with large rivets running on the middle. An old, ragged scarf of a yellow color flew in the air, and his belt was big and had a small, black fan spinning constantly, a bright, fire-like light coming from between the blades.

"Renny! It's the giant grasshopper that goes around making babies!" Nora affirmed, while Ren readied his guns again.

"Who are you?" The green clad boy asked, and the man laughed.

"You can say I'm his senior, created way before him. Kamen Rider XC1." He presented himself, giving a step back. "We'll meet again, if you live long enough." XC1 affirmed before jumping from the edge. Nora and Ren rushed to pursue, but when they arrived at the edge, he had already disappeared.

* * *

"It worked well this time." Emerald commented as Cinder and she watched the last footage of the battle. Cinder nodded and smiled, before ending the footage. "The transformation was almost instantaneous, and it retained most of her intelligence. Unfortunately, it become harder to control and developed some instinctive behavior."

"That is fine, as their objective is to create panic, but they aren't strong enough yet." Cinder mused.

"Maybe instead of using hobos and addicts, we should go for strong people to begin with." Mercury suggested.

"Oh, are you volunteering, Merc? I'm sure this will only improve you, what is not that hard to begin with." Mercury growled at emerald comment, and moved as if he was to attack her, but a simple raised hand from Cinder stopped him.

"Mercury have a point, my dear emerald. I'm sure we won't have trouble finding suitable guinea pigs now, especially if we promise power to them if they accept our little gift. And of course, our little Kamen Rider will be a perfect way to test our new pieces." She ordered, am evil smile on her face as her eyes shone briefly.

* * *

"This Kamen Rider XC1 didn't say anything more?" Glynda questioned Ren and Nora about the latest incident, though they didn't inform them why they were in town in the first place.

"No. Apparently, he's stalking Jaune, and is quite resilient himself. I felt his presence before, but never reached for him before tonight." Ren explained

"Mr. Arc, do you know anything about this?" Glynda asked, before sighing as she saw Yang running her hands on him. "Ms. Xiao Long, stop it."

"I'm just checking he's alright! It's my job as his partner!" She said, and Jaune took the chance to take her hands and put them off him.

"I'm fine, Yang, I'm not hurt. Aura, remember? And no, commander. I never heard of other Kamen Riders before. You'd have to ask grandma Jennifer." He said and Glynda nodded, now aware of the person she should talk with.

"Ma'am, is there anything you can tell us about this Grimm that turns into humans… or maybe if it's the opposite?" Pyrrha inquired, a thought most of them also had in their heads.

"We don't know. Reports of people turning into Grimm only started recently, but we're investigating it. Though while at first I thought Mr. Arc had just a knack to stumble upon them, I'm starting to think he might be a target." She warned, and worried looks travelled to him.

"Me? Why me? I'm just one guy…"

"That I don't know, but I don't believe in coincidences, and considering aside the Grimm we have this XC1 to worry about, it would be better you don't wander alone from now on. I also suggest you to train harder."

"Don't worry, commander, I'll make sure to make Jauney here undefeatable." Yang affirmed, giving some taps on his leg.

"If you wish, I can help too." Pyrrha offered, and Jaune could already feel sore muscles in his future. But he knew they meant it for how own good.

"The instructions I gave you all from last time remain. We don't want people to start panicking and attacking each other fearing someone might be a Grimm. You're all dismissed." She said, and the group left. As soon as the last one wasn't on sight anymore, Ozpin entered the room.

"Things are getting messy." He affirmed, and Glynda sighed and pinched her nose bridge.

"Yes. I don't know for how long we'll be able to avoid this story of becoming public. The reporters are already pressing us into admitting something isn't normal." Glynda admitted as she sat down. "The worst part is that we don't even really know what's happening."

"No, but maybe we can at least have some answers. The excursion to Forever Fall… let's anticipate it." Ozpin suggested, and Glynda gave him a questioning look. "Simply put, if Mr. Arc is a target, they'd follow him there. If not, them he is just unlucky… or lucky, depending on how you look at the issue. He has eliminated the Grimm he met till now. Though maybe we could increase his training, and I can't think of anyone better than you for that."

"Very well. I'll make the necessary arrangements. Let's just hope this works for the best. And what about this Kamen Rider XC1?" Glynda asked.

"I'll have Qrow take a look, before we contact Mr. Arc's family about his… unique abilities."

* * *

 **A.N.: The dock's incident will happen first, though both this and the Forever Fall Forest events will play largely different than from canon. Also…**

 **Winter is Coming**.


	9. ARC VS XC1

Jaune woke up late that Sunday. They had agreed to make a stake out at the docks to see if the white Fang and Roman Torchwick would appear there, even if he believed they should've taken that information to the police, they convinced him that the police would scare the Fang away and they'd not have the definitive proof that the Fang was involved. He tried to dissuade them, but then both Ruby AND Blake give him begging faces that he only knew his sisters were able to do with such power and he conceded, so the eight of them would spend their last free night in the cold docks staring at containers. He sighed and turned to sit on his bed, when he saw a pair of lilac eyes dangerously close to him.

"Y-Yang?" He questioned, and suddenly she flicked his forehead. "OUCH! What was that for?!

"You see on good looking lady and don't hesitate and being alone with her, uh?" She affirmed, her voice clearly showing her unhappiness. He rubbed his forehead and gave her a disbelieving look.

"Really? I mean, really? I saw someone needing help and helped, I didn't check her out and thought 'she's hot enough for me to help'." Jaune defended himself, but Yang huffed and crossed her arms under her chest, forcing Jaune to avoid looking at that area.

"So why not let Weiss-cream take the girl home? Why you?" Yang demanded, and He just shook his head.

"Look, I don't know, alright? It was not like we were thinking things through when we just found a headless corpse and a woman covered in blood begging for help! Yang, what's this really about?" He asked, cobalt eyes boring on lilac ones, making the blonde girl finally lost her fighting mood and her shoulders slumped a little.

"I don't appreciate your stunt, alright? When Ruby called me desperately telling me a monster took you away, I was… worried to death about you. We're partners, and honestly, you're my bestie here. So, don't scare me like that again, alright?"

"I can't promise, but I'll do my best. It's not like I love to be dragged by giant bugs from hell around." He said and she nodded in appreciation.

"Alright, you sit there like a good boy while I take my bath. I want to find you here when I finish, so no going help helpless ladies or fighting monsters." She ordered as she started grabbing some clothes.

"What if Ruby needs help?" He teased, and she groaned and stare at him with red eyes.

"Don't be cute, Arc. I have some handcuffs and I'll lock you to our bed if I need to."

"Why you have those?" He asked, and she smirk but don't answered, entering the bathroom.

* * *

"…and then Renny gave me a sloth." Nora finished telling her latest weird dream to the table, causing Ruby to giggle at the idea that Ren fought in a princess dress to save Nora from a giant waffle.

"This is why I try to stop her from midnight snacks. Not only she had weird dreams, she trashes around when doing so, which usually mean something breaks, usually me." Ren deadpanned, causing some in the table to laugh out loud, while Nora just booped his nose and gave him a toothy smile.

"Well, so is all ready for tonight?" Weiss asked as she took her scroll out. "I believe with the eight of us, we'll be able to cover all the area and if need arises, defend ourselves."

"But we won't act if don't need to." Pyrrha added quickly, since she agreed with Jaune that they shouldn't get too involved in something that wasn't their problem to begin with. They all agreed with different levels of commitment.

"Well, but that is for tonight. What do we do until then? I don't like to be bored, you won't like me when I'm bored!" Nora protested, and Ren made a pleading face to the others, as if warning them of how dangerous Nora could be when bored.

"We can always spend the day in town and meet at night." Yang suggested as she finished her yogurt. "No shopping today, though. My wallet would cry, but I hate being indoors for so long."

"Prey, sister!" Nora happily agreed, so they decided to just wander during the day and doing whatever caught their eyes.

They crossed the rather empty halls of the academy, as cadets from the city itself spend their weekends in their family homes, while many spent the night at the city. The tranquility was appreciated by people like Ren and Blake, but the others preferred a rather lively day. As they walked to the entrance to take their vehicles, they stopped as a white limo stopped at the front gates. The first one to get out was a familiar face.

"Friend Jaune!" Penny shouted and waved, giving a small ran to give him a quite literal bone breaking hug. "I'm so glad to see you're unharmed!"

"P-PENNY! You're harming me!" He said between gritted teeth and she ended the hug, but smiled anyway, before turning to the others. "Hello again, friends of friend Jaune I met before, and nice to meet you, friends of friend Jaune I just met. I'm Penny." She was met with a few surprised stares and some awkward introductions from the others that haven't met her yet.

"So, Penny, what brought you here?" Ruby asked and the weird girl gave a big smile towards her.

"The car, of course. But if you're asking the reason the car brought me here, is because my guardian wanted to meet Weiss Schnee." She informed, making everyone turn their heads to the heiress.

"Your guardian wants to meet me? Why?" The heiress questioned.

"Does an older sister needs a reason to meet her younger sister?" A tall woman in white military clothing come from the other side of the car. It was clear she was related to Weiss, same white hair and blue eyes.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted happily, a big smile spread on her face as she moved to greet the older Schnee, that gave a small smile and put a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder. "Why didn't you called me to say you were coming? I'd have organized my day for you!"

"It was a last-minute decision, Weiss. Besides, while meeting with you was always in my plans, I do have other reasons to come to Beacon. I don't want to interfere with plans you already made, but I'd appreciate if we could have lunch together. I also want to meet your partner, if possible." Winter stated in a very polite manner, and Weiss gave a small conflicted look at Blake. The girl just shrugged as it was not like they had plans until the night.

"Well, it would be great!" Weiss said, the happiest any of them ever saw her. Then she turned to Jaune, and scanned him with her eyes, evaluating him and making him nervous and shift a little under her gaze.

"Penny told me about it, Mr. Arc. Thank you for becoming her friend." Winter said suddenly, and he blinked in confusion, but before he could answer, she continued. "Weiss also told me of your curious abilities. If we have time, I'd love to know a little more about them."

"Eh? Uh… If we have time?" He said hesitantly, and Winter smiled before turning to Penny.

"Penny, I'll first pay a visit to Ozpin, but if you want to explore the city, I'm sure your new friends will happily entertain you." Winter said, and the gleeful reaction of the girl made it hard to refuse.

"Well, how about it Pyrrha? We can take her with us and make this a redhead outing?" Ruby suggested.

"Hey, I'm in! Redhead power!" Nora said happily and jumping. "Sorry, Renny, you're on your own today!"

"It'll be hard, but I'll manage it." He answered, a hint of relief in his voice. He had a hard time finding… alone time when Nora was around. So, he could use the chance to relax a little. That left…

"Well, guess what, bug boy, it's you and me today!" Yang celebrated way too happily, while he wondered what mess she wanted to take him to.

* * *

Adam always thought of himself as a patient man. Which was a lie that he told himself, as he growled while Torchwick gave his men orders, treating them like they were trained animals to be commanded. He gripped his sword and take a step forward, only for Roman's petite sidekick to stand between them, giving that smug smirk Adam hated.

"Out of the way." The Faunus ordered, trying to push the girl around, but she skillfully moved to stand in front of him, and he moved to draw his sword.

"Whoa, whoa there, children!" Roman said as he noticed and moved close to them. "We are on the same side here."

"We aren't your dogs, Torchwick, for you to bark orders like that. You better show some respect before I cut you down. Your doll here won't be able to protect you." The Faunus said, and Neo gave a dangerous look at him, almost challenging the man to try. Roman got himself between the two.

"Alright, look, I'll be nicer to your people, but we don't want to make a scene. We don't want Cinder to come here, believe me. I saw what she's able to do." Roman warned them, but apparently, they would receive a rather drastic warning as one of the crates they were next too simply burst into flames. They turned to see Cinder approaching, hand stretched and eyes shining, as she controlled the flames to make a dragon like imagine before she ended the fires.

"Is there a problem here?" She asked, and Roman put his hands in front of him and moved away, while Adam stayed defiantly.

"Yes. When I agreed to help, it wasn't meant you or your lackeys could treat my people like that." He protested, and the woman kept the unreadable expression.

"I'll talk with Roman to be more mindful of his manners. But I also you for a little patience. After tonight, you'll receive the promised reward. Power like the White Fang never received before." She affirmed, and he scoffed and walked away, under her vigilante eyes. She then opened her scroll and sent a message before closing it. "Power, yes, dear Adam, but at my service."

* * *

"Here." Jaune said as he gave his partner an ice-cream cone. She accepted it gladly and started licking it, observing his face and seeing him getting all flustered, as was her intention. He sat by her side as they observed the people having fun in the sunny morning on the park. She didn't say anything for a while, just enjoying the frozen dessert, before throwing a question to Jaune. "Say… why you decided to be a Huntsman? While all that Kamen Rider thing is cool beans, you don't strike me as the type."

"Well… my parents were Hunters, my grandparents were Hunters, my great-great-grandparents were either soldiers or Hunters, all fighting for what they believed to be right, protecting people who couldn't protect themselves. You can say it's a family tradition or in my blood, but I just wanted to protect others." He explained, and she nodded in understanding. "How about you?"

"Me? Well, I love the thrill, the challenge, the fighting, living the day not knowing what tomorrow will bring, but that not being a bad thing." She said simply and with a shrug, while Jaune gave her words a little thought.

"I don't think that is it." He affirmed, and she gave him a shocked stare.

"You have two seconds to explain, Mr. Arc, because I'm feeling you called me a liar." She warned, but her voiced carried no anger, just curiosity.

"You could have more freedom and the same amount of emotion being a bounty hunter, instead of a Huntress. You value your freedom, but you care about people. You want to live not knowing what tomorrow might bring, but for that to be a good thing, you want the people you care to be safe. That's why you are always worried about Rubes, always paying attention on her fights, always giving her council. And not only her, you care about all your friends. That's why you who never wakes before me woke early to talk." He affirmed, and she scoffed, feeling a little stupid because he did figure her out a little more than she expected. He wasn't wrong per se, but there was more to that.

Not that she would tell him.

"Fine, smart ass. Just because of that you're paying me launch. And no fast food stuff!" she affirmed and he shrugged. He could humor her for a bit.

* * *

Night came soon enough and they all met close to the docks, and Jaune stared at the girls for a moment. The redheads of the group were wearing makeup and had different hair styles than usual. He gave them a questioning look.

"Penny wanted to do a girl's outing, with beauty care and all that." Ruby explained. "And Pyrrha didn't had one before, so…"

"It was so fun! We did our hairs, painted our nails, talked about cute boys…" Nora added, then looked at Ren. "Of course, it included you, Renny! You're cute!" He put a closed fist over his chest and bowed with a smile.

"My baby sis is growing up!" Yang said as she hugged Ruby, that squirmed and flailed against the bear hug.

"Can we just get done with it. It was hard to convince Winter that I couldn't cancel my 'plans' for tonight to come here." Weiss protested, and they agreed to move with the plan.

"Alright! I think the long-range attackers should wait by the roofs, while the melees should guard the entrances!" Ruby suggested, and Jaune sighed.

"Ruby, we aren't trying to engage them, not even protect the Dust. We are trying to find evidence the White Fang is working with Roman Torchwick in those Dust robberies."

"She's right about having lookouts on the roofs, though." Pyrrha defended her partner. "And if we can stop them…"

"Come on, Jauney. I'm not saying we shouldn't call backup, just that we can keep them here till they arrive." Yang pleaded, and Jaune felt like they tricked him.

"Fine! But if they ask about it, I'm blaming all on you!" He said, and Yang gave him a love slap on his back, making him flinch.

They spread out around the docks, with Pyrrha and Ruby on the high ground, and the three other pairs on different locations, hidden from view. The hours passed too slow for most of them, and for a while they even wondered if that meant the thieves changed their plans, but soon a pair of cargo trucks arrived, and from inside came several Faunus wearing Grimm-like masks, and they forced the doors of an SDC-marked container open, revealing its Dust cargo, and started moving the contents to the trucks. At first, they only saw the Faunus, until Roman came from one of the trucks, cane on one hand and cigar on another.

"Come on! Faster guys! The longer you take the bigger the chance the dumb cops come to check out what you're doing! If you don't do your job there'll be no treat for you!" He chastised the Fang members, making some of them growl at him but they kept working. Roman chuckled to himself a little before he heard a thud on top of the truck. He turned to see Blake standing there, without her bow. "I don't remember you from the team meeting…"

"So, that's what become of the White Fang?" She spoke aloud, grabbing everyone's attention and making them pause. "Once you all said you fought for Faunus equality, but now here you are serving this thief! Don't you have any pride left?"

"Oh, I see how it is. Unfortunately, I don't have time to deal with you, kitty. Kill her." He waved it off, and the Fang members dropped the boxes and grabbed some guns. "Hey, easy with the loot, you mutts!"

They fired the guns and hit a shadow left behind by Blake's Semblance, as she jumped from container to container. As they fired, they missed the glyph forming beneath some of them and exploding in flames. The ones that weren't hit by the flames suddenly saw their guns exploding in pieces as Ruby and Pyrrha sniped them from above. Roman sighed and prepared to flee when Ren and Nora closed in, putting themselves between the thief and his escape route.

"Blake!" Weiss appeared as she engaged a Fang grunt with her rapier. "What the hell were you even thinking?!"

"My thoughts exactly, princes." Roman said, before arming his cane-slash-gun and firing at Ren and Nora, causing an explosion in front of them.

* * *

"Well, time for fun." Yang said as she armed her gauntlets, while Jaune groaned as he finished calling Beacon and the cops.

"We won't engage them, they said… we will only act if we need, they said… Now we have to get our friends out of this mess…" He lamented as he put his scroll away and pulled his Rider Belt on. " **Command"** "Henshin!" **"Arc Ride Acivated!"**

"I never get tired of seeing this." Yang said as his armor closed around him.

"So, this is what the new generation Kamen Rider can do." They both turned as they saw him walking towards them. Both were shocked to say the less, even Jaune couldn't help but stare at the stranger walking slowly towards them.

"Jaune… he looks like you…" Yang said as she readied her fighting stance, soon followed by Jaune.

"I assure you, young lady, I'm quite different than him, though you could say I'm his veteran, and that he wouldn't be here if not for me. I'm Kamen Rider XC1. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Kamen Rider ARC." XC1 introduced himself, his bright red and orange eyes focused on them.

"XC1?" Jaune questioned, moving only when the mysterious Rider did.

"So, she hasn't told you about me. Well, let me just say I'm here to make you realize what means to be a Kamen Rider. Young lady, your presence is not needed. You can go play with the whiter Fang." XC1 told to Yang, but she moved not an inch from Jaune's side.

"Sorry, pal, but I will stay with my partner." She said and he gave a dark chuckle over it.

"The path of the Kamen Rider is a lonely one, young lady. Your adversary won't be me."

As he said it, Yang barely had the chance to dodge the dark figure that tried to slash her with a long, curved sword. The figure wore a Grimm mask, different from those of the White Fang, and had long, luscious black hair. She wore black clothes with red details, and prepared her sword for another attack. Jaune tried to move to help, but had to dodge the charge from XC1.

"Your opponent is me, Kamen Rider ARC!"

* * *

Blake started to regret her decision.

Despite everything, despite she knowing the Fang was nothing more than terrorists nowadays, she still thought she could save them from themselves. It was her Faunus pride telling her to be there for her brothers and sisters, but now she knew she acted hasty, and was now was fighting dozens of them. Sure, her skills as Huntress in training was vastly superior then the grunts she was hitting with the blunt of their weapons, yet it was proving numbers made the difference.

"Ren!" She turned to see that one of the explosions caused by Torchwick have got Ren, even if the boy's Aura had absorbed any damage, it still made the green-clad Huntsman in training to stagger a little. The ginger girl answered by firing Dust rounds at the thief, who barely jumped out of the way, the explosion knocking a few Fangs, but almost hitting Weiss.

"Careful there!" The heiress shouted as she wiped another Faunus, even her trying to not kill them. Blake groaned as she realized they made a huge mistake. They weren't used to work together, and they were getting in each other's way in that battle. She closed in her partner and soon both had their backs to each other, fighting the Fangs. "You will hear so much when we got back in Beacon! If the commander doesn't chew you off, I will!"

"Then we better win this fight so you can do it, princess." Blake joked to relieve the tension, while Weiss growled and sent several Fangs up in the air with a glyph.

"IT'S HEIRESS!"

Blake didn't had time to laugh as she heard with her Faunus ears the sound of a revving two-time engine, and a giant Faunus with a chainsaw appeared, and her first thought was 'who the hell uses chainsaws as weapons outside horror movies' while the second was getting out of the way. The monochromatic duo dodged in the last second, and both sensed that this one was tougher than the rest. The chainsaw guy tried to move to attack again, but his weapon apparently rebelled against him for a moment, moving at random. The two girls wondered what happened until Pyrrha landed in front of them and readied her shield.

"I'll keep this one busy. You two take care of the rest!" The champion said as she engaged in battle against the bulky Faunus, using a series of acrobatic maneuvers to hit him, while Blake and Weiss, with Ruby giving support from above, taking care of the other Fangs.

* * *

 _She is a tough cookie to chew_!

Yang thought that as she fired a few rounds to try to make her opponent to move in a way she could take a shot against that woman. But her opponent was skilled, no wasted movements and struck with surgical precision, not counting her frightening aura, as if Yang was fighting a demon and not a person. When the blonde girl was finally able to inch close enough for melee, believing she would be in advantage due to the length of her opponent's blade, she was surprised the woman was fighting almost as if she could predict her actions.

"Damn it!" Yang shouted as her eyes shone red, and she traded several blows against the woman, who kept dodging and blocking until she connected a might kick to yang's guts, sending the girl flying backwards.

"I see he didn't taught you restraint." The woman said suddenly, and Yang's eyes widened in shock as she wondered what the woman meant. She didn't had time to ask further as the swordswoman started an offensive.

Meanwhile, Jaune was fighting back XC1, and both were in a more even field, trading punches and kicks against each other, and realized that while himself was stronger and faster, the opponent was more skilled, evening the battlefield. Not only that, XC1 was acting as if he was enjoying the battle.

"Ah! I see she did a great work with you, a shame you still don't realize what you truly are! This is your weakness!" XC1 affirmed as he connected a right hook to Jaune's face, that returned with a kick to the side. "That's more like it!"

"What do you want?"

"To do what I was built to do, what we were built to do, Kamen Rider ARC! We were built to fight!" XC1 affirmed as they punched it other's fists, making them give a step back.

"That's not true! I just want to protect people!" Jaune affirmed.

"Yet here you are trying to mess with the witch's plans! But you will learn your true nature soon enough!" The stranger affirmed as his Rider Belt started shining and energy diverted to his fist.

" **Command** " "Rider PUNCH!" " **Rider Punch READY!** "

The two Riders jumped forward and their fists connected, causing a huge explosion of light that tossed both backwards and against some containers, indenting them. Yang cried Jaune's name and tried to come to his aid, the mistake allowing the swordswoman to attack her, hitting several strikes before swiping the blonde from her feet and making her land on her back.

"You're not ready. You should go back to your father and stay there. Next time, you might die." The woman affirmed as she pointed to Yang's right arm, were a cut could be seen and blood dripped from it. Yang couldn't believe that woman was able to deplete her Aura so quickly. She turned her gaze to see Jaune getting up, and so did XC1, but his Rider Belt was glowing red and letting steam out.

"We will meet again, Kamen Rider ARC. Now you better go help your friends." The mysterious Rider said as the woman came to him and opened a dimensional portal and both disappeared.

* * *

"That was the last of them…" Weiss said as Blake knocked another Fang unconscious, and they could hear sirens in the distance. Nora and Ren were fighting Torchwick, while Pyrrha was finishing with the chainsaw guy. "What we do now?"

"You can die, Schnee devil." They didn't had time to react as Weiss was hit by a point blank and launched her against a pile of wooden crates, the heiress Aura blinking to indicate she was alive but out of the fight. Blake's eyes turned in horror to the man that was her former lover, Adam Taurus, walking menacingly against her. "Hello my love. Missed me?"

"Adam?! You approved this? You approved using Faunus to commit crimes for others?" Blake questioned in surprise as she readied for battle.

"All steps in direction of the same end, love. Now, I can forgive you for leaving me if you kill the Schnee and come back with me. Together we can create the world our people deserves." He claimed with an extended hand, while Blake took a step back.

"I know exactly the kind of world you want to build, Adam. A world built over the bodies of the innocent won't last!" Blake said as she attacked him, but he blocked her blade with his.

"Then you shall be part of the pile, Blake!" He affirmed as he overpowered her and broke her instance, attacking with a slash, built only hitting a shadow as she put herself between him and Weiss. He took a step forward, but a Dust round hit the ground in front of him. He looked up to see Ruby perked in a crane, reloading Crescent Rose.

"Stay away from my friends, you creep!" She demanded as he growled and got in an attacking stance. He used his semblance against the crane, and for a moment nothing happened, until the metal gave up and the crane collapsed, forcing Ruby to jump out of it, but now the wreckage cut her and the others from Blake, Weiss and Adam.

"Now, where were we?" He said as he turned back, only to have to block Blake's attacks and shots. He growled but was able to push her back, showing more strength and skill than the girl.

"Adam! Stop it! Can't you see you are only going to create trouble to our people!?" She tried to reason with him, but he answered by firing his shotgun-sheath at her and pushed her to Weiss side, both girls now grog and trying to get up.

"You side with the Schnee, you betrayed me, Blake. You're not one of us anymore. You can die with them!" Adam shouted as he readied to attack again.

"RIDER KICK!"

Adam barely had time to get in a defensive posture as Jaune came from behind some crates and hit him with his most powerful attack, causing the Faunus man to fly and hit his back against a container. His Aura flared and shone, and flames enveloped him but dispersed without killing the man. He tried to get up only to hear the crane's wreckage to move and open a passage, as Pyrrha, Ruby, Ren and Nora came. Yang came from the opposite side, checking the fallen girls.

"You better surrender now. Another kick of mine and you won't survive." Jaune more pleaded than threatened. Adam got up and readied his sword once more, forcing the others to get ready to fight. "Stop it!"

"I won't be captured by any of you!" Adam affirmed, then a bullhead flew over then, a rope outside. They stared as they saw Roman at the door.

"Who needs a cab and a flash exit?" Roman said as he tossed a few grenades on the ground, forcing the others to take cover, Jaune covering the three girls on his side as Pyrrha pulled a container with her Semblance to block them. The explosions created a lot of smoke, and when it passed, they were safe, but Roman and Adam departed.

"Damn it! They escaped!" Ruby lamented as they moved together. The girl then noticed a bloodied cloth on Yang's arm. "Yang! You're hurt!"

"Tis but a flesh wound, Rubes." Yang said with a smirk, petting her sister, but deep down she was frustrated she was so easily defeated. "How's everyone else?"

"We are unhurt, but a girl with some kind of illusionary powers rescued Roman from us." Ren explained, while Nora puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

"I defeated the chainsaw guy, a shame their leader escaped, though." Pyrrha said as she moved to Jaune, who was still in Rider form, stretching a little. "Are you alright?"

"Just sore… Yang and I met with that Kamen Rider XC1… What is exactly happening?" Jaune questioned himself as Vale's police finally arrived.

* * *

"You costed my men! All of them! You'll pay for this!" Adam threatened Roman as the bullhead piloted by Neo started landing procedures in an island off the coast of Vale. The thief just puffed some smoke and looked unfazed at him.

"If your men were a little more competent, a group of children wouldn't had defeated us. And if you want to get angry, get angry at your employer, not at me." The redhead man affirmed as they finally landed and the door opened.

"I'll deal with Cinder first, then I'll deal with you, Roman." Adam said as he walked out the bullhead, Roman simply rolling his eyes as Neo and he followed the angry Faunus. At the door of the mansion in the island, Cinder was waiting for them, her face as difficult to ready as ever.

Adam didn't waste his time and used his Semblance against her, only to be surprised as it caused no effect. Then suddenly he felt a sting on his back and turned to see Mercury with a syringe on his hand, some black liquid being injected on him. He moved forwards and fell on the ground, as he felt cold and his breath became hitched.

"What you did to me?" He growled as his skin started turning black. He then saw cinder walking toward him, emerald by her side.

"I promised you power, my dear Adam, now you'll receive power beyond your imagination, while also becoming completely subservient to me." Cinder affirmed as the Faunus started to squirm and scream. Mercury laughed, while Emerald turned her gaze away. Neo and Roman traded worried stares between each other.

* * *

 **A.N.: Some truths will be revealed next, and a relaxing trip to the Forever Fall Forest will turn into Friday the 13** **th** **! Maybe… Maybe not… XD**


	10. Forever Fall Ride

"Hey, mom..."

" _Jaune! It was finally time for you to call your own mother! You know how worried I was about you?_ "

"Mom… I called three days ago."

" _Doesn't matter! It's my right and privilege to be irrationally protective of my children, all eight of them. You'll understand when you have your own… You aren't calling because you made one, right? I know your partner is pretty, and the babies would be gorgeous, but I'm too young to be a grandmother, and I don't want your child to grew up fatherless."_

"Mom, I did not make a child with Yang or anyone… and why my child would grow up fatherless?"

" _Because if the mother's parents don't kill you, I will."_

"Mom, I'm not risking a child with anyone, I swear. And even if I was, can't you trust me to be careful?"

" _Well… Aqua never appeared here with blonde kittens, so maybe I can…"_

"MOM!"

" _What? It isn't my fault you decided to get into your best friend's bed! She misses you, by the way, we all do. When are you coming to visit?"_

"Maybe in three weeks we will have an extended leave. Tomorrow we are going into a field exercise, it'll last a week, and scroll signal is spotty at best. Are everyone alright there?"

" _You know how it is… Maika is helping me control everyone, but Mia is always getting in trouble with that computer of hers. Mica and Chia are busy with their jobs, and the triplets miss you the most. Next time call when they are out of school."_

"I'll call again tonight, there's… something I need to talk about…"

" _It's not a baby, so what's troubling you? Money problems? Girl problems? I want you to find a girlfriend, just not go too fast with her."_

"None of that… I… I met a guy claiming to be a Kamen Rider… He wore a similar outfit, if a little more antiquated than mine. He talked like he knew grandma Jennifer. And he fought me…"

" _Are you hurt?"_

"No, I'm not, but he escaped. Mom, do you know anything about this?"

" _Can't say I do, but I'll call my grandmother and ask her about it. She wasn't the only one working in the project back then, so maybe someone else used the research Dr. Akizuki developed for the Great War. Jaune, don't get yourself involved with this Kamen Rider. You don't have to risk your life to be a hero. Promise me you'll be careful. Arc word."_

"I promise, Arc word. I'll talk with you later then. Have to supervise Yang or she will pack only useless stuff on her backpack."

" _You say that, but you love her."_

"Heavens, you just sounded like her. Bye mom, love you."

Jaune closed his scroll and returned to his room, where Yang was trying to fill her backpack with way more clothes than the poor device supported or she needed. He groaned and sat at his bed, where his backpack was already ready and stared as Yang tried to stomp her clothes inside. He noticed her arm was completely healed, not even a scar reminded. The good thing of Aura was that it healed wounds fast, and if it was not a big one, no marks would remain. Helped fighting Grimm, and also to take a beating like it was nothing.

"Yang, aside underwear, don't put so many different clothes. It'll be a week, and no one will care if you aren't wearing a different top and shoe every day." He said, and she gave him a stare like he just kicked a puppy.

"Jauney, maybe you can survive with a pair of t-shirts, but a lady like me won't be caught using a smelly outfit twice." She said and he groaned again, grabbing her backpack and emptying it, and with the clothes came candy, snacks and cosmetics.

"First, we aren't allowed to bring food, and I expect the commander to inspect our luggage. Second, you don't need makeup…"

"Oh, I know I'm gorgeous, but that is a poor pickup line." She teased, making him blush slightly.

"You don't need makeup in a field trip… not that you need it here… or you can't use it… it's your choice, I have nothing to do with it! Except that… Argh!" she laughed at this and felt a little better, since she was feeling down since the docks' incident.

It was true they avoided the theft of the SDC dust, and captured most of the city's White Fang chapter. They weren't as pleased about the destruction of private property, but at least they were able to pin down all the fault at the White Fang, but the blonde brawler felt awful about the fact she was defeated so easily by that woman, and also the fact she somehow knew something about Yang perturbed the girl.

"Yang…" Jaune called, and she looked up, his cobalt blue eyes cast on her, visible worry on then, and she smiled. It always made her feel better when he worried about her like that.

"Fine, smart ass. What should I take?" She finally said and he looked at her clothes, grabbing a pair of training outfits for her. It was also something they promised each other the night before… Train together and get stronger. She took the outfits and nodded in acceptance. "I see you also like white and lacy eh?"

He then noticed the rather small, pretty panties that tangled in his hand. Yang laughed hard as he tossed it away and blushed as red as Ruby's cape. That had been totally worth it.

* * *

"Hey, commander. We are ready to go." Coco said with a smile as she put her backpack on the ground. Velvet was right behind her, and Glynda greeted then with a small nod. She had asked for the two to come as backup, in case something happened, which she hopped it wouldn't. She didn't want to confirm Jaune Arc was a target for their enemies, though the dock's incident said he was a target for at least one apparent third party, even if they still were trying to reach Jennifer Arc for information regarding the Kamen Rider Project.

"Commander, is everything fine? You look a little tired?" Velvet said, and Glynda shook her head.

"Just tired as usual. It's hard to deal with so many teenagers, especially when they have superpowers. I'm actually thinking this field exercise might even turn into a restful time." She affirmed and the two brunettes seemed to accept it.

"How about Jay? Do he give you too much trouble?" Coco asked as she sat in a chair, and Glynda gave her a questioning look. "You know, blonde, blue eyes, cute, likes to dress like a bug?"

"Ah. Mr. Arc is well behaved. Academics is not his strongest point, but he's a good fighter even without that 'trick' of his. Why the concern? I know he was his partner for a day, but it's unusual for anyone to get so concerned about the cadets."

"Coco took a liking to him." Velvet said with a smirk, as it was rare to have a chance to tease her partner. The other brunette opened her mouth and stared at the Faunus girl in shock, like she was just betrayed.

"As long as you don't sneak in his bedroll…" Glynda added to the teasing, and Coco scoffed and crossed her arms, looking pissed at the other women, and the two just smirked back. That was when Glynda's scroll rang, and she took it. A message, one that made her immediately groan, for she could deal with children, not with two adults behaving like children.

" _Qrow found something and is returning. James is coming too_."

* * *

"Blake, stop it." Weiss demanded as she saw the girl just poking her food mindlessly, eyes distant. Since the incident, Blake blamed herself for everything, about people getting hurt and letting Adam escape. If she had stuck to the plan, maybe they'd have captured everyone. Even after apologizing, she still felt bad about it. "You need to eat, I won't have my partner barely able to stand tomorrow. We'll be graded."

"Yeah! Cheer up! I mean, so what if you jumped the gun and caused a huge mess and we haven't arrested the main baddies and Commander Goodwitch got mad at us and we caused hundreds of thousands of lien in damages? We will have another chance sooner or later!" Nora said with a cheery disposition, even if Ren groaned at her affirmation and the others stared worriedly to Blake.

"Nora is not wrong. If I had followed the plan instead of having this crazy idea I could talk the Fang down, no one would've get hurt, no one would've escaped and minimal damage at most, but… I had this crazy idea that the White Fang still had some morals to follow." She answered as she kept staring at her food, fists clenched.

"If it makes you feel better, everyone on this table messed up, including me." Jaune spoke, making everyone at the table to stare back at him, a mix of curiosity, indignation and surprise. "Look, we were so worried about Blake's situation that we overlooked one simple solution for this all: anonymous tip."

"Of course!" Weiss said as she put a hand to her face, to hide the embarrassment. "A simple tip to the police or Beacon would've sufficed! They'd know something was up and we'd never be caught in that fight!"

"Still, I jumped there starting the fight, instead of calling the authorities as I promised you." Blake said staring at Jaune, that just shrugged it off.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and I expect you to not do this one ever again. Starting by promising me you won't go after the Fang again. They are not your responsibility." Jaune asked, and she gave the idea some thought.

"How about you and that other Kamen Rider? Aren't you going to do something about him?" She inquired, and he shook his head, surprising them.

"Look, I already called the people that might know something about him and passed the information to Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch. I won't hop on Hopper…" Yang couldn't help but snicker a little. "…and ride around town expecting to stumble on him. I don't even know what he wants. Blake, I'm not saying you should not act if you can, just to stop searching for trouble."

"I… You're not wrong… I think I let my pride get the best of me." She admitted.

"As your partner, I'll make sure to call you on it." Weiss stated and Blake gave a small smile at her. "Now eat. It was hard to convince the cooks that fish is a breakfast food."

"It's in certain parts of the world." Ren added, and Blake finally started eating.

* * *

"How's our new member?" Cinder asked to emerald, as the girl checked in a huge holo-monitor some data.

"The transformation is complete, and he obeys our orders, though he shows some resistance, and that obsession with this former girlfriend of his. Apparently strong emotions remain on the subjects. But his old skills remained, and he's stronger than previous subjects." The red-eyed girl explained, and Cinder smiled in satisfaction.

"How about our other POI? Maybe we would like to test our new subject?"

"He didn't left Beacon. And Cinder, wouldn't be for the best to keep a low profile right now? The police and Beacon are more pro-active in searching us." Emerald offered the advised, and Cinder considered it for a few seconds before agreeing.

"Indeed. But let Roman goes business as usual. If the police catch him, they'd be satisfied."

"Wouldn't he snitch on us?"

"Roman knows better than betray us, or he would've done that already." Cinder affirmed with a diabolical smile.

* * *

"I forgot my wallet." Jaune said with a small groan as they approached the bullheads for their field exercise. Yang rolled her eyes.

"You won't need your lien in a forest, bug boy. Unless you think you'd find a StarDust there."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was one. There's like, one in every corner, and their coffee is more like dessert." Pyrrha chimed in, causing a few laughs.

"I for one would love to have one. Where I'd get my daily dose of triple latte?" Coco appeared with Velvet, carrying indeed a big cup of coffee and looking annoyed.

"We'll join you on the trip, as assistants to the commander." Velvet explained before they could ask why they were there. The bunny girl was all smiles, while the other girl seemed ready to rip someone's head off.

"I don't mind going, but why we need to go so early. It's inhuman, I say." She complained as she sipped more of her coffee. "And I'm angry you didn't call me for your little stake out."

"But we didn't order food recently…" Ruby wondered.

"That's a take out. And we just didn't want to involve people without being sure of what was happening." Blake explained. Coco just groaned and sipped her coffee before speaking again.

"You guys sucks. Besides, you could always use a licensed Huntress."

"She's just bored because things have been quiet… aside for you all and the docks." Velvet added, making some to laugh nervously.

"Ms. Adel, stop trying to enable them. I already had a long talk with them about independent action." Ms. Goodwitch said as she approached them. She was wearing an outfit that resembled that of a PE teacher, including whistle. "Now, could you all move to the bullheads. I don't want us to be behind schedule because of your socializing."

The trip itself was eventless, and Coco's mood improved as they talked while flying. Soon they left the city, and flew over the farms, but those were also left behind and then they saw a sea of red leaves as they approached Forever Fall Forest, an interesting forest where the trees always sported red leaves all year around, giving its name. The bullheads landed in a clearance, and soon the cadets lined up in front of the commander, with Coco and Velvet by Glynda's side. After a roll call, she briefed them.

"Attention, cadets. I know you are all surprised on how beautiful the forest is, but remember that this is a Grimm sighting spot. Be careful at all times, stand close to each other and don't wander too far from the main camp." She informed as the bullheads took off and left. "We will stay here for a week, so first order of the day is to set camp, then find food."

"Find… food?" Weiss asked, afraid the commander meant what she thought she meant.

"We aren't called Hunters for nothing, Ms. Schnee. When we locate a Grimm, we need to hunt it down until it's killed, and most Grimm goes into the wilds if hunted. Others like to hide in places like this, awaiting unsuspecting victims to attack. While you probably would bring supplies with you in this situation, there's the chance you'd have to find food in the wild while hunting, and this is training for such occasions. All you have to drink and eat is on the forest, if you learn how to find it. You can start right away." Glynda said as she took the veteran Huntresses and started erecting a tent.

"Come on, Weiss-cream, it'll be fun!" Yang said as she tapped the heiress shoulder. "Dad taught Rubes and I some stuff about finding food, especially mushrooms."

"Eeewww mushrooms…" Nora protested, showing her tongue off.

"Don't worry, Nora, I'll find us some roots and herbs." Ren offered, making the girl grimace.

"I don't know what's worse…" The ginger girl replied.

"I can fish." Blake raised her hand, and at that moment Jaune slapped his forehead.

"Damn it… I don't have a weapon proper for this… I mean, you all can use your weapons as tools, but I can't just punch the problem…"

"That's what I tell Yang all the time." Ruby affirmed, causing a few laughs. "But the commander didn't said we can't work together, so some of us put the tents up and the others try to find some food."

"You heard my sis, Jauney. You put up a tent for me and I'll give you something good in return." Yang affirmed as she wiggled her eyebrows, making Jaune's face turn completely red.

"OH. MY. GOD!" Weiss screeched.

* * *

"Tch. Look at that guy, all smug with the hottest girls of Beacon." Cardin growled as he watched the group having fun. "But I'll teach him a lesson we'll never forget."

"Yeah, but we need to catch him alone." Russell added as he mounted a tent. "Or else the girls will butt in."

"Don't worry, Russell, I already have a plan in mind. Dove, you made what I asked of you?"

"Yep. We won't have to worry about bug face."

"Excellent." Cardin said as he kept an eye at Jaune.

* * *

"That does taste good." Weiss said as they were eating a fish stew that Jaune and Ren made with the food they were able to scavenge on the forest. "I'm surprised both of you know how to cook."

"I had to help mom at the house, since my sisters are a walking disaster in a kitchen." Jaune explained.

"Nora." Ren said and that sufficed to the others. Nora giggled then started gulping the sap she took from the trees. Ren sighed, fearing the sugar high or that Nora would drink all the sap in the forest. Probably both.

"I'm glad it seems we won't have trouble with food though. Seems like this might turn like one of those summer camp movies." Pyrrha said with a small smile, enjoying the experience.

"Which kind? The ones were everyone is trying to have sex or the ones were a maniac with a machete tries to kill everyone?" Nora asked, mouth dirt with sap, forcing Ren to take the pot from her.

"No one is trying to have sex here!" Weiss shouted and blushed, causing a few laughs around them.

"You can't prove anything." Yang added to her and Ruby's chagrin.

"Attention everyone!" Glynda called, and they all stood up and lined in front of her. "Now that you all had lunch, it's time for the first activity set for you."

"Wait, what activities?" Sky asked.

"You all didn't expect to come here and just sit around eating and talking, did you?" She inquired, but some actually expected it. "The first challenge of the day is to recover flags we spread around the forest. We left marks you can track to them, and each pair needs to recover one."

"Ma'am, how long we have to finish this?" Ren asked.

"There's no time limit, but there'll be a… punishment to the last one to return with a flag. You can start now." She barely ended the sentence and all cadets dispersed into the forest, causing her to smirk in amusement.

* * *

"Don't look up." Yang said as she reached for a flag with Beacon's symbol stuck in a tree.

"You're not even wearing a skirt. And I'm not the kind of guy that stares under girl's skirts." Jaune protested as she was standing on his shoulders. She got the flag and jumped down, losing her footing and forcing Jaune to hold her by her waist and pulling her close to him. She smiled while he blushed, and when he let go of her, she didn't move. "Y-Yang?"

"Pretty girl in your arms and you let her go? I'm starting to think you don't like me." She pouted and teased, making him avoid her eyes.

"Come on, Yang. I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of a situation…" he protested, and she nodded, putting a hand on his chest, making him stare back at her.

"That's good. It makes me comfortable around you." She said, and they stood, staring at each other's eyes.

"HEEELLLP!"

"What?" Jaune and Yang said at the same time as they looked around.

"Some girl is in trouble!" Yang affirmed, and they heard the call again. Both blondes immediately jolted forward, passing through the forest, jumping above bushes and rocks, trying to follow the sound of the sound. Soon a clearance was found, with a rock near the opposite edge. Yang walked to the rock as the cries from help came from behind it, only to find a small portable speaker. She groaned and turned it off. "It was just a stupid prank. When I put my hands in whoever… Jaune?"

He was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Jaune was taken to the edge of a nearby river, where he growled as he saw Cardin and Russel waiting, so he assumed the ones that grabbed him while he rushed with Yang were Dove and Sky. They were holding him by the arms, and brought him closer to their boss. Cardin had a typical smug smirk, and that just pissed the blonde Rider more.

"Jaune boy! Thanks for accepting this little invitation!" Cardin said, but Jaune didn't answer back. "Come on, we are all friends here!"

"You're an ass, Cardin. Stop with the false pretense." Jaune finally answered, and Cardin laughed at him, stepping closer and grabbing the Rider Belt from his pocket and his scroll from another. "Hey!"

"You won't be needing this, Jaune boy. And just in case…" Carding gave the Rider Belt to Russell, and the smaller boy put it inside a metal box, locking it with a padlock. "No bug man. See, Jaune boy, I don't like when people mess with me, and you, oh, you messed with me twice. Now I'll teach you a lesson."

"How I can become a petty jerk with serious ego issues?" Jaune challenged and the taller man punched his guts for that.

"I'll have fun punishing you." Cardin said as he crackled his knuckles.

"You know, Cardin, you are an idiot… and you forgot one important thing… I'm stronger than I look." Jaune said as he straightened his back and rose Sky and Dove from the ground, before tossing them away. "Now, I want my Belt back."

"You…" Cardin drew his mace and attacked.

The Rider sidestepped the attack, and noticed the others were also drawing their weapons. He groaned over the disadvantage but managed to avoid direct hits, landing a punch on Sky and a kick on Dove. He needed to call for backup, but Cardin had his scroll, though if he could reach his Belt, he could turn the tides on the battle. He rolled to dodge Cardin's mace and ran after Russell, who panicked and tossed the box into the river.

"Though luck!" The small boy said as Jaune saw that the box didn't sink but floated, so he did what he needed to do, and jumped after the box.

He swam as fast as he could until he reached the box, and he felt relieved as he floated, until he heard a loud noise and looked ahead, then he groaned as he noticed exactly where he was headed too.

A waterfall.

* * *

Coco swore to the heavens she would punch Jaune when she finds him for worrying her, as she walked through the forest with Velvet in toll. Yang called the commander to inform of what happened, and she ordered a search, so now they were trying to find the boy, hoping everything was alright with him. She feared that a Grimm, or worse, had found him, and the thought didn't sit well with her.

"Velv, can you hear something?" The brunette asked her partner, that twitched her bunny ears.

"No, there's a waterfall nearby, and the sound is drowning the rest." The Faunus informed her friend, while still worrying about the cadet. Coco wanted to curse, when an idea crossed her mind.

"I'll be really mad if I discover he fell in the river…" She murmured. "Velv, let's go to this waterfall."

Velvet led the way, and soon they found themselves in the bottom of a tall and rowdy waterfall, the river shores made of big rocks. Coco stood up one, scanning with her eyes the place, until she saw a familiar black hoodie and blonde head sprawled over a boulder. She gasped and jumped on top of some rocks top find him, a metal box on one hand, his clothes soaked and torn in places, and a cut on his forehead.

"Velvet! Come help me with him!"

The two brunettes pulled him to the shore, and Coco removed his hood and t-shirt to reveal several bruises on his body. Velvet took her scroll to call for rescue, when he started coughing and opened his eyes. He had no time to speak as coco sat him and gave him a hug.

"Jay… what happened to you?" she asked, her concern clearly on her voice, still hugging him, and he patted her gently on her back.

"Cardin… he and his friends tried to attack me, tossed my… where's that box…" He asked as he looked around.

"Hey, easy there, Jay. You're hurt…" She said, then she noticed his Aura was quickly fixing the bruises and cuts. "You were hurt… The box is there…" She pointed to his side. He took the box and examined it. "Don't worry, we'll get some tools to open it if what's inside is so important."

He simple forced it open with his bare hands, and took the Rider Belt from inside.

"Or you can do that, and make me feel silly." She complained.

"Sorry, Coco, wasn't my intention. Replacing this would be… difficult." Jaune said with a shy smile, and she nodded and ruffled his hair.

"I get it. But I was worried sick about you." She said and he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll compensate you all, somehow." He said then suddenly she cupped his face and gave him a quick peck on his lips, making him fume and blush hard, the same happening with Velvet.

"I'll think of a way for you to pay me back." Coco said, smiling at him, a sweet expression Jaune never saw on her face before, then she scowled. "After you tell me exactly what happened."

* * *

"Cardin, I don't think this is a good idea…" Russell said as they returned to the camp site, since the search for Jaune was called off.

"It'll be our word against his. We were taking care of the flags…" Cardin waved the one they got, to make a point. "…and we never saw Jaune boy. we stick to the story and it will be our word against theirs."

The four arrived at the camp, were all cadets waited, and they did notice the evil stares Jaune's friends were giving them, though Jaune and his partner weren't anywhere to be seen. They moved to their tents, where Commander Goodwitch waited with an unreadable face.

"Mr. Winchester, I see your group grabbed some flags." She started, amking most of them nervous.

"You know me, always efficient in my job." Cardin answered, planting his flag on the ground.

"I see. And you haven't crossed paths with Mr. Arc, have you?"

"No, none of us saw Jaune boy all day." He lied through his teeth, but Glynda didn't change her facial expression, only taking her scroll and calling someone. An old, catchy ringtone could be heard, and slowly they turned to Russell.

"Mr. Trush, I strongly suggest you to take this call." Glynda basically ordered, and the boy stared at Cardin for help, but he just urged Russell to solve it with a movement of his head and an angry face. The smaller boy showed the scroll on his pocket.

"I… uh… found it in the forest? I have no idea to whom it belongs to?" Russel tried to excuse himself, and the four of them turned back to Glynda with forced smiles.

"Really now? You know, I love how technology is all connected, like I can use this portable speaker to take a scroll call…" She said as she showed the portable speaker Yang got, and she called the four boy's scrolls, and one of the ringtones came from the speaker. "Now, one by one you will end this call." Slowly the four of them took their scrolls and ended it, one by one, revealing Dove's scroll was connected to the speaker.

"I, uh, might have lost it on the forest?" He offered.

"Is it so? Weird how both Ms. Xiao Long and Mr. Arc testimonies are being supported by physical evidence." She said as she used her Semblance to levitate the damaged metal box Jaune's Belt was put and made it land on the group's feet. "Now, want to try the truth now, or should you keep digging this hole?"

"He attacked us! We just defended ourselves!" Cardin snapped, and Glynda finally changed her expression to one of irritation.

"You take me for a fool, Mr. Winchester, if you think I'll believe on this nonsense! You want me to believe that Mr. Arc attacked you four? And none of you decided to call me? And for some reason you decided to pretend nothing happened? It has been a long time since I saw such stupid attempt of avoiding blame! You could've killed him and for what? Petty revenge in a perceived but non-existent wrongdoing against you!" She finally rose her voice, making three of the cadets to shrink, while Cardin's face contorted in anger.

"So what? It was a prank, alright? It's not our fault Jaune was too stupid and jumped on the river close to the waterfall!" The cadets took a step back, as a murderous aura enveloped Glynda.

"A prank? You dare to mock me calling this a prank?" She roared, and for a moment they expected her to smack the boy down on the spot.

"It was Cardin's idea! He told us we would just scare Arc!" Russell broke under the scary stare of their commander.

"You four will return to Beacon and the headmaster will deal with you. But be aware my report will suggest one thing for all of you. Expulsion!" She said as she pointed her riding crop towards the four, and a bullhead landed in the clearing.

* * *

"I'm fine." Jaune protested as Yang forced him to lay down on their tent. The blonde girl sat cross-legged by his side, with a mixed expression on her face.

"The Commander said you should rest, so you'll rest." She said, almost sounding like his mother, but instead of the confident and bossy eyes his mother had, hers showed genuine worry and tenderness. He had no will to disobey her anymore. "Commander G is chewing Cardin and his friends. I hope for them that she doesn't leave anything for me, or else I'll burn whatever left of them."

"I don't want you to. Your face is too pretty to look so angry and sad." He spoke, and she couldn't help but laugh and blush at his honesty. It was certainly refreshing. "Look, I'm sure the Commander will take care of him for us, so let's forget about him."

"As long as he doesn't get in my face." She said as she plopped on his side, and both remained in silence, laying and staring at the tent's top. It lasted for a while until both turned to their sides and stared at each other's face. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry?" He questioned, and she avoided his eyes.

"You're my partner and I let you down. I should've noticed you was taken, and because of that you got hurt. I sometimes forget that you're not a superhero, because of all the cool stuff you do… I should have your back, and…" He silenced her as his fingers touched her chin, and he gently made her stare at him, his eyes showed her he was smiling, and she relaxed a little.

"It wasn't your fault, sunshine. It was Cardin's and his friends, and theirs alone. I'm sorry I worried you."

"Not your fault either. So, how about as an apology… when we get back and have another free time… we take each other for an outing?" There was a hint of nervousness on her voice, but Jaune nodded in agreement. The Yang scooted closer, touching his chest with her hands and resting her head under his. Soon she fell sleep, and Jaune wondered for a moment before doing the same.

* * *

 **A.N.: One point for Dragonslayer! But Vanilla Coffee still is on the race!**

 **So, there's a reason for this chapter… two, actually. One is something especially interesting about the Heisei Riders compared to the Showa Riders (by the way, I was being sarcastic in my first AN, about the series popularity, you guys) in that the most Heisei Riders aren't altered humans or cyborgs, and are completely dependent in having their Henshin device at hand. It's incredible I saw very few episodes taking that in consideration.**

 **Jaune is kind of a hybrid Rider in that aspect. He's not completely useless out of his rider form, but he's stronger in it. I might do more chapters where lack of access to the Rider Belt becomes a problem to him, though he probably will take measures for an incident like this doesn't happens again.**

 **Cardin will play a longer role here than he had in canon, and this plot point is needed to set up the path he will take. I really, really dislike bullies, and different than the feel-good movies Americans love to put out, rarely a bully turns a new leaf in real life.**

 **So, see ya next time!**


	11. Highway Ride

"Expulsion?! Surely you can't be serious!"

"Mr. Winchester, I am serious. See, despite Ms. Goodwitch strict streak, she never punishes the cadets more than they deserve. If she believes your actions deserves expulsion, then expulsion will be." Ozpin explained to the burly teenager, whose face contorted into an ugly expression.

"It was just a prank gone wrong!"

"A prank is gluing post-it's in someone's lockers, a prank is putting salt in someone's coffee, Mr. Winchester. Putting the lives of others at risk is not a prank. Besides, your own behavior since the year started have being more than just reprimandable. Several instances of racism and bullying, inside the academy and outside it. Honestly, you weren't expelled before because we didn't have enough evidence for it, but now… You thought that being a Huntsman was just a position of power for you to abuse, Mr. Winchester. It isn't. It's our job to protect AND inspire people to be better. Now, you have 24 hours to collect your belongings and leave Beacon." Ozpin explained calmly.

"This won't be the end of this!" Cardin growled.

"I hope it is, Mr. Winchester. For your own good, I suggest you start reflecting on your actions, before they bring you to a bad situation you can't escape." Cardin just got up of his chair and stormed out of the office, while the commander just sighed and sipped on his coffee.

* * *

"Are we sure about this one?" Roman asked as he saw the newest plan from Cinder on his scroll, while the evil woman just smiled at him and nodded. "Look, I can steal anything, but Atlas won't take it kindly if we take one of their prototypes. I'm not even talking about the Hunters and the police, but an army on your heels."

"Actually, your heels, but that's irrelevant." Roman would disagree with that statement if he hadn't a strong sense of self-preservation. "Mining Vale and Atlas trust in each other will boost my plans further."

"Or it will make us hunted by forces we are not ready to fight against. I strongly suggest you to rethink this little plan of yours." Roman urged, but the woman just chuckled.

"I'm sure you won't disappoint me, Roman. Not again." She said as almost a threat, and Roman puffed some smoke, but didn't answer back. He sat in a crate as Neo appeared from the shadows, casting an urgent look at him. "Yes, I know. This won't end well… unless someone get in our way again. You know, someone that likes to ride bikes, dress as a bug and meddling?"

Neo simply smiled and nodded in understanding, before walking away.

* * *

"Home, sweet home." Jaune joked as he opened the door for their dormitory, with Yang on his back. The week in the forest turned to be hell, as Goodwitch made more challenging tasks for them as the days passed. Now all of them were tired, more mentally than physically, so everyone wanted a rest.

"Warm baths, fluffy beds, meals he didn't had to kill ourselves…" Weiss said as she supported herself on Blake.

"Pancakes…" Nora murmured as she slept on Ren's back, who sighed and gave a stare at Jaune.

"Fine, I'll make her pancakes tomorrow. It's not my fault she decided to follow Yang's lead." Jaune said as he struggled to enter in their room.

"Well, I should put my partner in bed too." Pyrrha said as she carried ruby on her back. "I was thinking… it will sound silly, but…"

"You want to do something common but you haven't had much chance to do." Blake guessed, and Pyrrha nodded.

"I was thinking we could go out, but not in our Hunter attire… just a casual outing, like normal girls with normal knees as Ruby like to say." Pyrrha explained and they all nodded in understanding.

"We'll decide the details tomorrow, I really need to sleep." Weiss stated and they all entered their rooms.

Jaune laid Yang's on his bed, and allowed her to keep sleeping as he grabbed some clothes and took a long bath, singing an old song as he did so. When he finished, and dried himself, he noticed there was something written in the fogged mirror, and wondered if Yang had entered the bathroom to make a joke, though he was sure that despite all the teasing, she wasn't the kind of girl to take a peek.

 _Atlas have a toy the bad guys want, go to the airfield warehouses tomorrow night to stop them_.

The whole message was inside a drawn heart, and Jaune wondered if someone was using a Semblance to mess with him. He finished putting clothes, and the message disappeared as the mirror un-fogged itself. He cursed, but we wouldn't rush outside to grab his scroll to take a picture with the chance Yang was awake. He walked outside and saw that Yang was awoke, reading something on her scroll, but still on his bed.

"Yang, the bath is free, but something odd happened." He said, and Yang stared at him, signalizing for him to continue, so he told her what happened.

"Weird… Unless you believe in ghosts, someone left a message to you." She said, a little worried. "I think we need to tell Goodwitch. You know, avoid the whole docks thing, as you said?"

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea. We'll do it tomorrow morning then." He said and she nodded, grabbing some clean clothes and entering the free bathroom. Jaune laid on his bed and started to send some messages to his family, but couldn't help but notice the warmth Yang left, and the nice smell, even if they just returned from the forest.

 _Come on, Jaune Arc! Calm down! She's your partner! And then there was that kiss Coco gave me… Dad would be saying stupid advices… and I'm not sure I should ask advise from mom… definitely not my sisters…_

"Ah, that hit the spot!" Yang came out of the bathroom several minutes later, drying her hair, wearing her usual top and short-shorts.

 _Were they all so small, or Yang curves so… BAD! Bad Jaune!_

* * *

Jaune and Yang entered Ozpin's office, in the top of Beacon's tower, and saw it was located behind the clock, with all the giant gears exposed. It felt a little odd, maybe even overwhelming to see there. The blonde duo walked to his desk, where Cmdr. Goodwitch was already waiting, with Winter Schnee, Weiss' sister, of all people.

"Mr. Arc, Ms. Xiao Long, glad you two joined us. It's good you two are here. Winter is here as a representative of Atlas, since by what you informed previously, this concerns her country as well." Ozpin said as he pointed them to sit. Both looked at the woman and nodded in greetings, that she returned in kind.

"I'm curious about this message you received, Mr. Arc, and why you were the one to get it." Winter explained, and Jaune just repeated the story. The older Schnee took a few moments to think about it before speaking again. "Whoever sent this message, knows you and wants you there."

"So, uh, good reason for me not to go? I mean, I bet you from Atlas will have that place strongly guarded." Jaune guessed, but the three adults in the room stared between themselves, making him worry.

"Unfortunately, we can't move our own soldiers there without Vale's Council permit, and what is stored there is confidential. A big detach of soldiers would bring unwanted attention. It also means there's a leak on our side, and theirs." Winter mused, more to Ozpin and Glynda than the two blondes.

"Alright, sorry, but who's 'theirs'?" The blonde boy asked, but no answer came from the adults in the room. "You know, I'm not feeling a lot of trust here."

"It's not that, Mr. Arc, or better, not just that. It's not your character we question, it's your ability to keep secrets to yourself. And until we discover the leak on our side, we can't risk information being freely spread." Glynda explained, her tone of voice letting clear her feelings about it. She didn't want to keep secrets, but knew the importance of doing so.

"So, Winter agreed with us and you shall go with your partner, and of course, backup from licensed hunters. Keep in mind we don't want you to intercede but since the message was sent to you specifically, we don't want the risk to see whoever is going to attack our warehouse to not appear." Winter explained, making him raise an eyebrow.

"I have this nagging suspicion I'm going to be used as bait." He deadpanned, and Glynda put a hand on his shoulder.

"You won't be alone, for not only your partner will be there, but also two licensed Huntresses. I'd be there myself, but a high-profile person like me would draw too much attention, as would be Winter. You have all the right to feel bad about it, even to not agree, but capturing these criminals would be a great step in turning Vale safer." The blonde woman said, and Jaune sighed and cursed his morals.

"I'll do it. Who's coming with Yang and I?"

* * *

"Jay!"

"Hey, Coco." He said as she pulled him into a hug, making him blush, while Yang gave them death glares. Velvet coiled a little feeling the tension forming between them. "I suppose the commander told you what we'll be doing eh?"

"Stake-out. Boring if you ask me, and we really should meet outside the job." She said as she ended the hug and smiled at Yang. "Hey blondie. Let's work together and show the higher ups what we can do, okay?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll give them a lot of Yang for their buck." She said and Velvet and Coco stared at each other, unsure about how to react to the bad pun, while Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, so what's the plan? We can't just go there looking like… Hunters…" Jaune said as he stared at the girls, then at himself. He didn't cut the Huntsman look, but the girls….

"Ah, I'm so, so glad you asked. You do need a makeover." Coco said with a smirk and looking above her sunglasses.

"You know, I'm with you in this. Jauney, you will never be the same after we finish with you." Yang agreed, then dragged him by his hood, followed by a smirking Coco and an apologetical Velvet.

"Meep." Was all he could muster to croak out.

* * *

"He's moving again. Going to… a mall? Weird, it's a weekday." Emerald wondered as she followed the tracker she put on Jaune's wallet. Mercury gave out a bored sound and sat up on the roof they were perked.

"I still think we're wasting time and I should just go and murder the insect. Boot always wins against bugs." The silver-haired man said as he patted his boots, making the girl roll her eyes.

"Cinder said we shouldn't. Let the altered Grimm deal with him if we must, but we are to keep ourselves hidden. Besides, she has another mission for you." Emerald affirmed as she sent a file to his scroll. Mercury opened it, and looked unamused.

"Who's this guy? Looks like an idiot."

"They say it needs one to recognize another. He's our next test subject, and this one is not a homeless or drug addicted, so he might turn out better than the others. And he does have something against our target too." Emerald said with no emotion on her voice, while her 'partner' just shrugged.

* * *

"Come on, Velvet, just a little more skin." Coco affirmed, while her partner gave her an angry stare, as angry as a cute bunny girl could must.

"No! We aren't going to hit a night club, so no!" She said as she appeared in a pair of tight black leather pants and a brown leather corset and shoes. Her forearms had some leather gloves too, giving her an air of 'bad bunny girl'. "I'm already worried this pants aren't flexible enough."

"It's all part of our disguise." Yang said as she appeared in a black and white outfit that said 'sexy biker girl'. "You look great, bunny. It'll be just three gorgeous girls and an awkward guy in a joy ride around the less crowded areas of Vale."

"If Jay stop chickening out and comes out!" Coco, wearing almost the same outfit as always, just instead of pants was a mini skirt with stocking, and her sweater had the back open, said aloud towards the changing stall, and they heard a grunt in response.

"I'm just not sure I do a good bad boy, Coco." He finally said as he got out of the stall, and the three girls took a moment to admire their work. He was wearing a leather jacket, tight jeans and combat boots, and some chains. His hair was now slicked back and kept in place with hair spray, and he was wearing a pair of sunglasses and fingerless gloves.

"Mama like it." Yang murmured, and Coco had to agree, as he spun and showed his toned butt.

"It doesn't feel like me." He complained, until both Coco and Yang slapped his butt. "Gah!"

"It's perfect. Now come on, let's go have some dinner and then we go to our mission." Coco affirmed as they left, and Jaune groaned. It was like going out with his older sisters.

They left the mall, and after another brief discussion on who would ride with who (Yang wouldn't let anyone driver her Bumblebee, but also didn't want Coco on Jaune's back, so Velvet rode with him again), they at first just did what they were pretending to, a joyride through he town until the night became darker and the streets emptier, and drove to the warehouse area near the airfields.

It was… awkward, to say the least. The spot was infamous as a lover's spot, and many cars and bikes were spread around, with couples making out in the dark. Jaune could feel Velvet's face was probably red as a tomato, as they tried to find a more secluded spot for themselves and he just hopped no one they knew would see them and have the wrong idea.

Soon they found themselves in a small hill near the airfield and the warehouses, and no one was nearby. They parked the bikes and sat at the top of the hill, observing the night movement of the terminals and the airships coming and going. It was a rather peaceful nigh, one they'd enjoy more if they weren't on work… and to two girls, if they were alone with a certain blonde.

"…it's quiet." Jaune decided to break the silence, and he only get some murmurs as answer.

"Which one is Atlas warehouse again?" Velvet asked, deciding to not let the silence settle in again. Jaune opened his scroll and pointed to the unassuming warehouse between many others.

"That one, with the roof written 'AS-12', but no movement for now." Jaune answered, and then they saw a heavy load truck moving towards it. "Girls, I think that might be it."

"Finally, some action!" Coco shouted as she got up and readied to move.

"Yeah, let's go there and kick some butt!" Yang agreed, while Velvet meeped and moved in front of them.

"W-we aren't supposed to act! We need to call Beacon!" She said as she readied her scroll, but noticed she had no signal. "Weird… we should've have strong signal around here…"

"Mine is not working too…" Coco agreed, as they saw from the distance several people in dark clothes opening the warehouse and one in a white trench coat and bowler hat. "Alright, we can't let those guys take whatever Atlas is hiding there with them. As the veteran Huntress in the field, I say we move now."

"B-but…" Velvet and Jaune tried to complain, but Yang and Coco started moving.

"It's never the easy way…" Jaune said as he grabbed his Rider Belt.

* * *

"And here it is… Atlas newest, fancy, expensive and deadly toy." Roman said as the lights illuminated some kind of robot. He grabbed a book and started reading it. "And it even came with a simple to understand manuals and controls! It makes the life of thieves like me so easy!"

He turned to the masked thugs that showed no reaction as they got about preparing a loading crane to put the robot on the truck. Roman sighed and puffed some smoke, lamenting the lack of interest of their new grunts. He just hoped that they would be useful when the inevitable arrival of the authorities takes place.

"Alright, everyone stop and put your hands on your heads!" He smirked as they were right on the clock, and saw the brunette with the minigun up a crate. Soon he saw a blonde girl blocking the exit, and a Faunus one on the other side. But most importantly, he saw a Kamen Rider, making him smirk.

"Well, look who we have here. Meddling kids! All it's lacking is a big dog! Now, would you kindly leave? I have a package to deliver." He joked about, only to hear the sound of guns cocking, making him shrug. "It's never the easy way, is it? Well, do I have a surprise for you guys!"

He snapped his fingers, and the thugs stopped working and turned to the new arrivals, and then they made a screeching sound and started convulsing, and their clothes ripped, revealing a Grimm forming from inside, Alpha Beowulves and Ursas Major. Coco opened fire, but those Grimm were faster than normal ones, and apparently smarter as they used cover to their advantage.

"W-what just happened?!" Velvet shouted as she avoided an Ursa's claw and kicked it on the face, making it fall on its side but getting up quickly.

"I don't know and right now I don't care!" Yang said as she jumped against a Beowulf and emptied her gauntlets on it, her last punch braking the monster in two. "Those things are tough!"

"So am I!" Coco declared as she pushed the barrel of her minigun down an Ursa's throat and fired, exploding its head. Jaune moved to her side, fighting two Beowulves at the same time, kicking and punching then as hard as he could, covering her back. She was about to say something when they heard a different sound from usual, and turned to where Torchwick was.

"And they even left the keys inside. Atlas really made this easy." He mocked as he made the Atlesian machine move. He didn't waste time or cared about the obstacles and people and rushed outside, breaking the wall instead of going through the door. Jaune grabbed an Ursa in a headlock and broke its neck.

"Hopper!" He called, and soon enough his bike entered the warehouse, running over one of the Beowulves and tossing it one the boxes.

"How you did that?" Yang asked as the bike blinked its golden lights.

"Hopper is a smart bike. Yang, you and Coco take him and pursue Roman, Velvet and I will deal with the Grimm!" He shouted as he kicked another Ursa in the face.

"But!" Yang tried to discuss.

"He's right, blondie! Velvet and he are melee, while I'm ranged, and you know how to drive a bike!" Coco said, and Yang groaned but jumped on Jaune's bike, with the brunette jumping right behind her.

"You two better be alright when I come back!" Yang shouted as she revved the engine and started the pursuit.

The girls left the warehouse and followed the marks on the tarmac, as the robot's tracks left deep marks on it. Soon they left the warehouse area and got into the highway, where some damaged cars were in the escape areas, and the fast bike soon made them close the distance with Roman, who was fleeing in the highest speed the robot could deliver. Thankful for the girls, it wasn't faster than Hopper.

"Blondie, put us on the side of that thing! I'll stop it on its tracks!" Coco shouted.

"On it!" Yang answered as she 'stepped' on the gas and dodged the broken cars along the way, and then the top half of the mecha turned and started firing on then, forcing her to lose speed so they could avoid the fire. "Damn it! Hold on, I'm going wild!"

"Hold on what?!" Coco shouted back but Yang was already speeding again.

Yang jumped on the opposite side of the highway through a broken car working as a ramp, and speed through the incoming traffic and speeding past the mecha, causing confusion on Roman until she jumped back, Coco having turned on her seat and firing her mini-gun on the robot's legs and 'feet', breaking some of its cogs and jamming its tracks, tossing the mecha out of control and down the highway.

* * *

Velvet always considered herself a good Huntress, and tonight she was wondering if that was good enough, as she kicked another Ursa on the face, and jumped out of the way. It started with a dozen Grimm, and now they were down to six. She was proud she took two on her own, but she also felt Jaune was doing most of the job.

"Rider PUNCH!" He shouted as he punched one of the Beowulves and it fell down engulfed in golden flames. He kneeled and breathed hard, and Velvet stood by his side.

"Are you alright?" she asked as he started to stand again.

"My Aura levels are starting to run low. Special attacks consume lots of it." He explained as they eyed the five Grimm left. Velvet wondered if she could use her weapon to copy Jaune's armor, but wasn't sure if she would be able to use those attacks. "The signal is still jammed… If we could find the source…"

"I can do that!" She said as she perked up and grabbed her scroll. "Jammers emit signals like a wireless router, so I can find where the signal is stronger and disable it! But…"

"I'll keep them busy! Go!" He urged and she nodded, scroll in hand as she tried to find the source of the signal, while the Rider engaged against the Grimm again.

She tried to pay no mind to the shouts and roars coming from the battle as she followed the app on her scroll that tracked wireless signals intensity. She moved with her eyes on the screen until she bumped into the truck, and she cursed under her breath until she realized the obvious. The jammer was in the truck.

She opened the door and found in the panel the device, and with a battle shout she kicked it into tiny pieces, and her scroll signal returned. She called beacon immediately, and moved to help Jaune, finding him in a pinch as the five Grimm surrounded him. She had no time to act as they jumped on him, but then one of the monsters were pulled back, giving Jaune a chance to dodge and escape the pile-up.

"Jaune!" Velvet cried as she rushed to his side, and they both stared as the Beowulf that was pulled was trying to move back at them, but had two blade on his back and was still being pulled.

"Friend Jaune! Are you unhurt?" A familiar voice came for them.

"Wait… Penny?"

* * *

Yang made a sharp turn to get out of the highway through an incoming ramp and keep pursuing Roman, but under the darker shadow of the highway they were unable to see signs of the giant robot, so she aimed her eyes on the ground, trying to find tracks on the tarmac again. It didn't take long for them to find the impact point, but no tracks from it.

"Where did he go?" Coco questioned, but as soon as she said it they heard a sound upwards.

Roman used grappling hooks on the mecha to attached itself to the bottom of the highway, and now he was above them. Yang sped to get out of the way as Roman dropped, the robot's arm hitting Hopper's tail, making it toss wildly and forcing the girls to jump. Coco and Yang rolled, and the brunette started firing, but her bullets weren't strong enough to pass the mecha's armor from distance. Yang closed in and started punching its legs, causing large dents on it. Roman didn't appreciate it though, and kicked her away.

"Blondie!" Coco shouted, then proceeded to fire again, aiming at the enemy's lights and cameras, breaking a few before it raised its arms to cover them. It took two steps towards the gunner before it started shaking. Yang jumped on its back and was pummeling it, firing Ember Celica as she tried to gain access to the cockpit.

Roman groaned inside the cockpit an trashed around, until he tossed the mecha against a pillar, smashing Yang on it, then grabbed her leg and tossed her away. Coco took the chance and dashed underneath it, and started firing between its legs, destroying several components underneath it. The robot lost its legs and fell, the brunette rolling out of the way in the nick of time.

"Come out to play, clown!" Coco challenged with her minigun pointed at it. The robot suddenly jerked and pointed its arm at her, a missile being armed. Coco froze for a moment, then the arm was jerked up and fired the missile aimless and harmless into the sky, as Yang, red eyes and glowing hair, tossed the robot aside, breaking the arm. The blonde brawler exploded in a flaming Aura and punched the mecha's body, tossing it several meters away and breaking it open, Roman flying in the air and stopping at a pillar.

"Ugh, I'll send Atlas a complain." He murmured and saw the two women approaching him. "Well, it was fun to play, but I'm going now."

"You're going nowhere." Yang said still angry, as she cocked her gauntlets.

"On the contraire, sweetheart. I'm going away. Neo!" From the shadows jumped a small girl with an umbrella, that made a bow to them, then smirked and blew a kiss and waved. Coco and Yang jumped at them, but the duo shattered like broken glass.

* * *

"I'm glad to see you're fine, friend Jaune! Winter sent me here to be your backup!" Penny said rather cheery, making the other two stare at her in disbelief.

"It's dangerous! You need to run!" Velvet urged her.

"Run? That won't be necessary, because I'm combat ready!" Penny affirmed as swords flew from her backpack, and attacked the Beowulf, killing him. There was a moment of silence between everyone involved, including the Grimm, as if no one could believe what just happened.

"Is being cute but dangerous a running theme with all the women I know?" Jaune wondered aloud.

"Coco would punch you if you called her cute." Velvet playfully warned him.

"Dully noted. Now, shall we?" He asked and she smiled, and they engaged the other Grimm.

* * *

"I know I owe you ice-cream, stop pestering me! No one sells ice-cream this time of the night… No, I'm not going to steal it." Roman told his partners as the girl pouted at him. They stopped 'talking' as they heard the familiar stilts. "Do you even call before paying a visit?"

"I'm more worried about this recent tendency of yours in failing." Cinder answered, her face hinting slight displeasure. "And how this Kamen Rider boy found you so easily. It makes me wonder if someone tipped him."

"Yeah, sure, people would tip the masked rider instead of Beacon, the police or Atlas. Also, I know you tagged him, so why not giving me some heads up? I almost left empty handed!" Roman complained back and Cinder walked dangerously close to him.

"Almost? And what did your incursion bring me if the Atlas new toy is not with you?" Roman put his hand on his coat and pulled the manual and a data stick.

"The instructions and the operational system, darling." She took the items and smiled, sickeningly dangerous towards him.

"You get to live longer, dear Roman." She spoke and left, and roman groaned to himself. He would have to take more insurance if he wanted to survive.

* * *

"And don't come back!" The black-haired girl in white dress said.

"Or next time we'll break something… on your body." The one with a red dress and shorter hair added. The twins stared down at Cardin, drunk out of his sense as he tried to stand up.

"You two bitches! Do you think you're a big deal?!" he growled as he tried to attack them, but it was easily dropped on his back, while they put their stilts on his throat.

"Go away, you loser, or the police will come to take you to a hospital." The white-dressed one affirmed as they turned their backs towards him.

"Bitches!" He growled as he stumbled forwards, ignored by the people around. He stumbled his way forward, until he tripped in a can on the sidewalk and fell down, causing some people to laugh at him and move away. "It's all his fault. He thinks he is a hotshot! I'll show him! I'll smash Arc's face!"

"My, aren't we full of anger here!" He turned his head to see a mint-haired girl staring down at him. "Tell me, big man, what if I said I know a way for you to become stronger? One where you could get even against a certain blonde?"

Cardin's mind screamed at him to not listen to that girl. His rage silenced the screams.

* * *

 **A.N.: Aftermath next chapter, as well as the tin man. Also, some fluffy is expected. :3**


	12. Rider from the Past

Jaune and Velvet jumped and kicked the same Grimm on the head, smashing it into nothing against the wall, killing the last one of those. They did a backflip and landed, even striking a pose, only to hear excited clapping and turning to see Penny, smiling and jumping while clapping. The two cadets took some deep breathes to recover and approached the ginger girl.

"Penny, you never told me you are a Huntress in training." Jaune asked.

"You never asked." Was her simple answer and he sighed in defeat, hanging his head low. "Your armor is quite dandy. I love the big eyes."

"Oh… thanks, I guess? But how you know it's me?" Jaune inquired.

"Your voice." Penny said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't detect any more threat, and the VPD is coming. Shall we wait for them here?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jaune said as he removed his armor, what fascinated the small girl. "I also need to check on Yang and Coco."

"I'm sure they're fine, Coco is quite reliable." Velvet said, but she was also worried about her partner. Jaune pulled his scroll and dialed Yang anyway.

* * *

Yang and Coco sat with their backs to each other, over one of the pieces of the destroyed robot, as VPD cars surrounded the area. The cops were clearly unhappy, but avoided questioning the cadets as they isolated the area. Soon Yang's scroll blared some rock music and she took it lazily.

"You called Yang Xiao Long's, best girl in the universe. Please dial 1 for puns, 2 for puns, or deal 3 for puns." She answered, causing Coco to chuckle a little.

" _What number worried partners should dial to see they are alright?_ " Jaune asked, annoyance clear on his voice. Yang immediately lightens up over hearing him.

"Hey, Jauney! Are you and Bun-Bun alright?" She asked, and there was a pause from jaune.

" _Bun-Bun?"_ He asked, and she could hear a female voice squealing on the background, while Coco laughed aloud this time. " _If you mean Velvet, yes, we are both fine, just tired. Penny came to help us. She's with Atlas Academy_."

"Really? She didn't color me as a fighter, but I'm glad she was then. I'm fine, so is Coco…" The brunette moved so she could speak on Yang's scroll too.

"Hey, Jay… are you good with massages, because I could use your hands on me now." She teased, and both girls could hear him almost falling on the ground.

"Ms. Adel, Ms. Xiao Long." Both girls turned their heads to see Ms. Goodwitch and Winter Schnee approaching.

"Well, duty calls. See you soon." Yang said and blew a kiss before hanging up.

* * *

Ozpin observed the reports coming to his desk, and wasn't exactly pleased. When Atlas requested help in securing a 'secret joint project between the two countries' he didn't expect it to be a giant murder robot, nor that it would cause chaos and destruction in his city. While his own cadets and Huntresses helped stop the theft, he didn't like the Council calling and questioning the fact he wasn't able to avoid the 'property destruction'. Politicians sometimes felt worse than Grimm.

A knock on the door made him close the screens and open it remotely.

"Ozpin, thanks for receiving me so late at night."

"It's not a problem, old friend." The commander said as General James Ironwood of Atlas walked in, in his pristine white uniform and took a seat in front of Beacon's boss. "I must say I apologize for this incident. We are investigating on how they knew where and what look for."

"I'm worried more about how I wasn't aware you brought a weapon to Vale." Ozpin asked, his voice even and carried little emotion, but the question itself was a complaint.

"It's part of our joint defense efforts, after all. Vale's Council approved, and we just wanted to keep it as most of a secret as possible. With the Vytal Festival being held here this year, we were going to reveal our new defense joint venture and weapons there." Ironwood justified, and Ozpin nodded and sipped his coffee for a moment.

"That's explain why I wasn't informed, since I'd oppose to such showing. It makes it seem we're going to war at any moment."

"You know something is not right, Ozpin. How the Grimm have been acting up, not only here, but in the other kingdoms too. And now those intelligent Grimm you reported… Someone is behind it, and we need to make them fear us." James affirmed, while Ozpin sighed.

"Fear attracts Grimm, we both know that. And tell, James, what will happen when people see all your new weapons? Maybe in the surface they will cheer up, but deep down they will ask what we're going to fight that needs such big guns?"

"I'm doing what I need to do to protect the people, Ozpin. We can't just sit and wait our enemy to act first!" James countered.

"Going to a war blind will only end in our defeat. We need more information before creating a strategy. That would be easy if you shared information with us."

"Like how you sent Qrow to pry around off-limits installations or how I only learnt of this Kamen Rider because Winter's sister told her about it? Trust should be a two-way street, Ozpin."

"Then tell me what secrets Atlas is hiding, because Qrow's research tells me there's something we should know. Shocker… that word appeared a few times, as did Project Masked Rider. But the information was mostly in bad state, as if purposely destroyed." James went silent, and Ozpin waited a few moments before continuing. "James, we are friends, even if we don't always agree, and on the same side. Or are we not?"

"It's old story, one that should stay buried." James answered, and Ozpin shook his head.

"I disagree with you. We need to learn from mistakes or be doomed to repeat them. Aside that, there's the problem one ghost from the past already walk with us. XC1."

* * *

Jaune and Yang parked their bikes on Beacon's lot, and helped their passengers to disembark. It was almost morning, as they spent the night talking with police officers, filling reports and dealing with Glynda and Winter. They were beyond tired, but at least they received the day off, if their friends would let them rest.

"Come on, Bun-Bun, let's go to the car…" Coco tried, but Velvet was out cold already. Jaune moved and carried the girl bridal-style, and helped to put her in the car. "Thanks, Jay… Heavens, I need a long sleep… Next time we have a date, I want to be tired of having fun, not of fighting giant robots."

"Yeah, of course wait, what?" Jaune asked in his tired confusion, only for Coco to suddenly peck his lips and leave before he could register what happened. Then Yang pulled him by his hood and dragged him away.

"Come on, lady killer." She said rather angrily.

She dragged him all the way back to their shared dorm, and he was too tired to escape her grip, but was worried on why she was angry at him. Seven sisters, his mother, his best friend back home, all his cousins and he still understood nothing of women's moods. She quite literally tossed him on his bed and entered the shower, leaving him to second guess what was pissing her so much. Of course, the thought she actually was jealous of Coco crossed his mind, but he didn't want to assume. His mother always said top never assume things about a woman's heart, which just added to his confusion. Minutes later Yang came out of the bathroom, ready to sleep and jumped on her bunker without a word.

Jaune took the chance to take his own bath, his mind drifting from Yang for a moment as he wanted to know what was happening. He knew by now that humans were being turning into Grimm, and he already sent messages to his family, but it was clearly now it wasn't randomly as it seemed before. They were working with Torchwick, but why the thief had this kind of allies was baffling to say the least. After the bath, he left in his pajamas, and noticed Yang was trying to stare at him discreetly, failing because her luscious hair betrayed her. He sighed and approached to talk with her.

"Yang, what…" She suddenly grabbed him and pulled him closer, landing a long-lasting kiss on him, making his blind go blank. He blinked as they disconnected, the taste of mint from her lips everlasting on his.

"Good night, Jaune." She said and turned back, and he stood there for a while.

* * *

Some days later, Glynda stared by the window of her bullhead as they approached the village on the far north of Vale. There wouldn't be more than two thousand people living there, yet the village had a clear defined visual, reminding her of fairy tale ones, especially with the castle at the edge. It would be a nice place to come for leisure, but now she was on a mission for Beacon, and hoped everything would turns for the better.

The flying machine landed close to the castle, in a concrete strip lane, and she opened the door and walked towards the main building. Along the way, she saw a familiar presence and sighed, as she preferred that man to not be there. He could be a great fighter and do his job well, but when it came to anything involving tact and diplomacy he was the worst choice ever.

"Qrow." She greeted rather coldly.

"Hey, don't blame me for this. Ozzie asked me to stop by before coming to Vale City proper. I arrived yesterday, and I might say they make a great white wine around, and mead, and…"

"Tell me you didn't angered anyone yet, especially the person I came to see." She asked, and he stopped talking and sighed.

"Ye of little faith. No, I haven't angered anyone yet… I think… It's hard to keep track of those kind of thing after the fifth glass." He told the blonde woman, that growled at him, but he didn't answer back. She'd questioned him more, but a blonde girl with a long dress approached them with a smile. She had deep green eyes, and could've pass up as Glynda's sister easily, though she had a leaner frame and long, straight hair.

"Welcome, I'm Maika Arc. You are Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen from Beacon, if I may guess." They both bowed slightly to confirm the information. "We were expecting you both. How's my brother?"

"Mr. Arc is doing well, performing most excellently I might say. In fact, his partner is Mr. Branwen's niece, Yang Xiao-Long." Glynda said and Maika nodded in appreciation.

"I hope he's just not getting too cozy with my niece…" Qrow commented and Glynda hit the man on his ribs with her elbow, making him cringe a little.

"My little brother is not the kind to… sneak in a girl's bed. Though now I'm curious about him and your niece's relationship." Maika asked as they walked, Qrow noticing the menacing aura coming from the Arc woman. He still didn't meet the boy, but was sure Yang would never allow him in her bed.

* * *

"Hmm…" Jaune murmured as he started waking up, and noticed a certain warmth and weight on him, and saw that Yang was sleeping top of him. He groaned and shook her, and she woke up and rubbed her hand on her eyes. "Why are you in my bed?"

"It's warm, alright… Just go with it." She said as she snuggled on him.

* * *

"He better." Qrow said and Glynda hit him again in the ribs. Maika just ignored them as they entered the ancient building, with its thick walls of rock and walked to the ample halls inside.

"I must say, we expected you to come earlier, Glynda. Ozpin isn't one to leave certain details go unchecked for so long." Maika said as they took the stairs upwards.

"We have been busy, dealing with Grimm and criminals. Today just happened to be the first we could afford coming. It's a delicate theme I have to discuss, so we didn't want to send just anyone." Glynda explained, and apparently, that was enough for Maika.

"It's rare to see people living in castles nowadays. Most people would've turned this place in a tourist attraction by now." Qrow made small talk as they crossed a long corridor.

"The Arc family is rather large, so this place does fit all our needs. And we prefer to preserve our long history than lost it to cheap tourist attractions. Besides, money is not really a problem for us, so we don't see the necessity." Maika said as she opened a heavy wooden door that took them to a spacious lounge-like room. "I'll bring tea soon. Your host is coming, so please take a seat and relax."

"Thank you." Glynda said as she chose a seat, and Qrow observed the blonde girl leaving before he sat by the window.

"Do you think they will be honest with us?" He inquired the blonde woman.

"I can't say as we don't have much to confront them with. But if Mr. Arc's character is a family trait, I expect they will be as helpful as they can." She affirmed, and he gave it a brief laugh.

"I'm not sure of it, considering they made the boy a living weapon." Qrow disdained, then the door opened and Maika came with a tray, and behind her a very old woman supported by a cane. Her eyes were once blue, but now a milky coloration prevailed, revealing her blindness, yet she walked with confidence to take a sit, and soon a cup of tea was put in front of her.

"I'm Jennifer Arc, Jaune's great-grandmother. I believe you're here to know more about the Masked Rider Project." The old woman affirmed.

* * *

"Go fish!" Nora said as half their group of friends played cards and the other some kind of tabletop game. They were a little bored as nothing happened in the last few days, as nothing exceptional have helped. You'd think they'd be happy, but actually…

"Ack! We need to do something more thrilling! Anything! Maybe we can go to a club and get into a fight!" Yang protested as she tossed her cards up in the air.

"Oh, Let's!" Nora said way to happily.

"Nora, no." Ren answered calmly.

"Nora YES!" She said as she readied herself, and the poor boy had to hold her down.

"Well, I do agree things have being rather boring recently." Pyrrha offered as she stretched and put her cards down. "Though this is not a bad thing, it is? After all that happened recently, a lazy day like this feels more like a blessing."

"What kind of idiot thinks getting into fights is a good way to fight boredom? Honestly, if you all are so bored to this point, the arenas are free." Weiss complained, and suddenly Yang and Nora started smiling evilly, making the heiress gulp. "What have I done?"

* * *

"XC1… that's a term I haven't heard in a long, long time. Since the end of the Great War, when Atlas formed the Science and Human Overall Committee for Karyotype Evolution Research." Jennifer wondered as she held her cup on her hands. "It started before the war, but always focused in the military side of it. My father was a scientist on that group, specialized in prosthetics and bionics. I was his assistant, helping with the research of advantage bionic members and organs to substitute those lost by soldiers in the war. We both believed we were doing a good thing."

"So, your father was the leader of this committee?" Glynda inquired.

"No, he wasn't. The committee was led by a general of Atlas military, General Eisenberg, heard he died during the last moments of war. My father was one of four scientists focused in using science for war. He was the bionics expert, Dr. Polendina was the robotics expert, heard his grandchild still work in Atlas and with robots. There was Dr. Hikari, genetics expert and another one, a secretive woman called Dr. Wick, the soldiers in the complex we worked called her 'the witch' as her research was… odd."

"Odd?" Qrow asked.

"Officially she researched phycology drugs to make super soldiers, but we heard she drabbled on the occult and parapsychology. Most of us was afraid of her." Jennifer Arc said and sipped her tea. "The soldiers had a name for us, though."

"SHOCKER. I found some files abandoned in that old complex mentioning it." Qrow explained.

"SHOCKER. At first, our research still followed a minimum ethical ruling, but when the war started, only results mattered. They wanted super soldiers, and we were too deep in our own arrogance to see the borders we were crossing."

"So, you created this XC1?" Glynda asked.

"Experimental Cyborg number 1. We had a small success with XC number zero, but his psych broke and he destroyed himself, unable to cope with a cybernetic body. But XC1… he was unstable from the very beginning, and enjoyed his newfound strength. He loved to fight, so he accepted too well his new status."

"A cyborg… made so long ago…" Glynda was amused after the thought.

"Atlas always had the most advanced science. It also explains why Jimmy is so keen to hide it, as people wouldn't be happy to know what Atlas was doing in its basement." Qrow added.

"When the war was practically lost, the higher-ups wanted to hide all the unethical experiments we conducted." Jennifer told them, and Glynda waited for her to continue, but it was Qrow that explained it.

"They decided to kill everyone involved and burn the place down."

* * *

"Just don't burn the place down." Weiss complained as she registered the group on the system and activated the hard-light shields. Inside, Jaune and Nora waited.

"Come on, Weiss-cream! We're training! You always complain we don't do that enough!" Yang said as the rest sat on the bleachers. "This is us honing our skills!"

"No, this is you all deciding that punching each other in the face is a way to fight boredom!" The heiress screeched back. "I'm not participating in this brawl!"

"You're just worried you will come last." Yang challenged, and the white-haired girl scoffed.

"I can defeat you any time, Xiao Long!"

"Prove it in the arena then, princess!" Yang answered back.

"Can we start now?!" Nora shouted from the arena, as she readied her hammer.

"Can we not!" Jaune answered back as he put his Rider Belt. Instead of being answered, the countdown started. "Oh for… HENSHIN!"

* * *

"Indeed. Soldiers came, and started shooting everyone and trashing the place. Atlas was already in a bad place as far as public opinion goes, losing the war and now having their darkest secret close to be discovered? No, they wouldn't have it." Jennifer continued, and Glynda felt her stomach churn over the information. She knew many awful things were done in the war, but against their own people was a little too much.

"They didn't do a throughout job." Qrow said as he added some of his liquor to his tea. "I found some clues about it, but not confirmation."

"Only Dr. Polendina was spared, as robots don't have ethical implications. My father died as we tried to escape, trying to protect me. I escaped with the research of his life, and kept working on it, created my own company when I arrived in vale and married with my husband, Jonah Arc."

"Advanced Research Cybernetics, leader on cybernetic prosthetics, no one can compete on technology." Qrow confirmed with Jennifer, who nodded. "Where the blonde kid gets in all this?"

"Jaune was gravely hurt during a Grimm attack. Broken arms, legs, ribs, torn muscles… honestly, he wouldn't survive if we didn't intervene, and we rebuilt him." Jennifer told them.

"Rebuilt?" Qrow wondered. Glynda was well aware of what that meant.

* * *

"Awww…" Nora whined as she laid on the bleachers. Jaune also groaned as he laid opposed to her. "How are you so strong?"

"I have my great-grandma to thank for." Jaune said as he stared at the arena, where Yang and Weiss readied for their match. "Will those two be alright?"

"I'll make you eat your words, Xiao Long. Including your awful puns." The heiress challenged as she readied her sword.

"My puns are awesome! Right guys?!" She demanded, but received a lot of non-committal grunts from the others. "Traitors! Jauney! You love my puns, RIGHT?!"

"Some of them?" He offered.

* * *

"Titanium bones, carbon fiber muscles. It's what allowed him to live a mostly normal life. But he always dreamed to be a Huntsman, so we gave him the Rider Belt, which maximize his bionic body to its peak, while providing him protection. It has a special Dust crystal on it, an artificial one we created to power advanced prosthetics. He's one of kind… but then, he always was, bless him." Jennifer concluded with a smile.

"So, this XC1 is like a prototype? How's is he even alive?" Qrow questioned.

"Jaune's body is 70% artificial, with all his internal organs his… XC1 only have the brain from his original body. Technically, as long as his artificial body works, he'll live forever." Jennifer explained, the implications making both visitors shift uncomfortable.

"Only a brain in a robot body… that sounds like stuff from b-movies. But what he wants with Jaune?" Qrow inquired further.

"Maybe he sees him as an equal… but I won't be able to say anything further. I believed he perished when the army attacked the lab, so what happened to him in the last 70 years is a mystery to me as much as it is to you two." Jennifer answered and finished her tea. "His interest over my great-grandson worries me, but I also worry about the Grimm…"

"The Grimm?" Qrow asked.

* * *

Cinder observed with detached interest as her new recruit fought against mindless Grimm, killing the mindless creatures with ease. She wondered for a moment what would the governments of the world would do if such revolution was available to them, but new the answer. People would decry it until they need it, then they'd embrace their actions as theirs, paint it over a coat of flimsy morals and use them for their profit.

"Roman called." Emerald informed her mistress but avoided looking at the window. "He is working on the next phase already, in Mountain Glenn. No problems reported."

"Good. Send Mercury and the newcomer to him. I don't want to take any chances for our next step. Tell them they can kill the Kamen Rider if they can, I'm tired of playing with him. Our new weapon is more than enough for our objectives."

"Understood. I also know that Ironwood is here. Rumor says he will bring his flagship for the Festival, saying a demonstration of cooperation, but I think the Council is afraid."

"Good. Scared people make lots of mistakes. Now excuse me while I go inform her of our progress." Cinder demanded, and emerald bowed and left, not wanting to see the witch, for she caused the mint-haired girl to shiver.

* * *

"You still created a weapon out of him." Qrow accused, receiving death glares from Glynda but he ignored her.

"A weapon doesn't have a heart, Qrow. Jaune does, maybe a little too much if you want to be cynical about it." Jennifer defended her great-grandson. "I swore to myself to not allow my technology to be weaponized and intend to do so."

"Lady I think…" They stopped talking when the distant sound of an explosion was heard, then Maika entered the room in a panic.

"Granny Jen, someone is attacking the ARC lab!"

* * *

XC1 walked through the sterile lab, covered in white, while people clad in light blue scrubs rushed away from him. The place was completely different of the lab he was born in, and it failed to bring any feeling or memory to him. He wondered if one of his creators was around, to thank the person and take their life. But none of the faces were familiar, and none of them were warriors. So, he walked direct to the server room and kicked the door into pieces.

The cold air in contact with his clothes created light steam, but he didn't feel it as much as he was warned of it by his body. Finding a terminal, he put a device on its input doors, and a series of beeps could be heard. XC1 then dodged the blade that passed close to his head and turned around.

"I don't know what you want here, bug face, but you better come with me quietly." Qrow affirmed as he got in a battle position, causing the Rider to tilt his head in curiosity.

"I see the family resemblance. I don't think she will mind if I kill you, Qrow Branwen." Qrow had no time to ask anything as XC1 ran and punched the sword as the Huntsman blocked in the nick of time, but the strength of the punch still tossed the man away a few meters.

Qrow had no time to think as XC1 closed the distance and started a flurry of kicks and punches, but the Huntsman blocked most of them before creating an opening and trying to slash the enemy. XC1 simple bent his body and avoided the large blade, before connecting a kick and sending Qrow back again.

"That's not funny at all, bug face." Qrow answered as he fired some Dust rounds at XC1, that was hit by them but his armor protected him. "Tough guy…"

"You shouldn't be here, Qrow Branwen. Your death will be quick, though." XC1 affirmed as he struck a pose, and his belt shone brighter as sparks of electricity moved from it to his left boot. "Rider Kick."

He jumped in the air way faster than any human being could, too fast for Qrow to react, but the kick met a glyph along the way. The glyph hold only for a second before giving out, and the kick landed on Qrow's sword, causing a cracking sound but the huntsman left unscathed. XC1 stood up and looked to his side to see Glynda approaching, ready to fight him.

"I believe you shall surrender now." The blonde woman affirmed, and XC1 stared at her and laughed aloud.

"This world of peace made you both soft. When in face of an enemy, destroying him is the only option you have. But don't worry, I'll make sure this world's cursed peace is destroyed." He affirmed and then they saw a portal surging on the server room, with the masked woman appearing from it and grabbing the device.

"You! What do you think you're doing, Raven!" Qrow shouted at the masked woman, that didn't answer. XC1 then dropped an object, and it was revealed to be a smoke grenade as it covered the room with a dark green smoke. Glynda used her powers to get rid of it, but it was too late as the invaders escaped. "Tch. So close."

"You know that woman?" Glynda asked.

"Yeah, I do. Raven Branwen, Yang's mother. Let's not tell her about this."

* * *

"Well, today ended up being rather amusing." Ruby said as she mopped the kitchen floor, her body covered in chocolate dough.

"I still want to know how exactly you blew up the batter. That shouldn't be possible." Blake questioned as she helped cleaning the kitchen from their attempt to create a pancake-cookie-cake. Apparently, they were too worried about if they could to worry about if they should.

"Oh, you need to see when Renny and I made that fireball with powdered cream. It was amazing!" Nora chirped happily as she licked a spoon with batter.

"Nora, you'll get sick, and it was big, though everyone got angry we burned the trees and they had no cream to put on their coffees." Ren commented and the others blinked in surprise.

"Well, it was fun though. Hope this peace can last." Jaune added as he helped Yang to get rid of the dough on her hair.

* * *

 **A.N.: Jaune, Jaune, Jaune… You jinxed it. More revelations next chapter**.


End file.
